THE RELATION CONFIRMATION TO BAPTISM BY THE SAME AUTHOR. THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL A Manual of Christian Doctrine. Crown Svo, y. 6J. Aho a Large-Paper Edition for Marginal Notes t 4/0, 12s. 6d. LONGMANS, GREEN, & Co., LONDON AND NEW YORK. THE RELATION OF CONFIRMATION TO BAPTISM AS TAUGHT IN HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE FA THERS ARTHUR JAMES MASON D.D. FORMERLY FELLOW OF TSINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE Donum Spiritus Sanctiquod datur in baptismaU per impositionem manus episcoporum. PSEUDO-PRIMASI us SECOND EDITION LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. AND NEW YORK : 15 EAST i6th STREET 1893 All rights reserved TO A NAME TOO VENERABLE AND TOO DEAR FOR ME TO ATTEMPT TO SAY OF IT WHAT I WOULD OEDtoaro LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY IN MEMORY OF MANY BLESSED CONFIRMATIONS BEYOND THE TAMAR WHEN I WAS HIS CHAPLAIN 2017319 PREFACE THAT Doctrine of the Laying on of Hands, which appeared to the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews so fundamental, has, in spite of the clear language of the Prayer-book, been less strongly taught in England by the general body of the clergy, and perhaps less often worked at by theologians, than was desirable in the interest of true religion. Although there have been innumerable little publications of a practical kind, to aid pastors in preparing their people for Confirmation, it is a considerable time since . any important volume has been devoted to the subject. Without constant re- examination in the light of former days, current teaching is always liable to lose something of the primitive power and clearness. The Bible, indeed, is always resorted to for the instruction of classes before Confirmation ; but the Bible doctrine, plain as it is, is often misunderstood because, through a misleading tradition, the true relation viii Preface. between Baptism and Confirmation has been obscured, and therefore the full force has not been allowed to the expressions concerning the second of the two baptismal acts. It is well, therefore, to turn to the history of the Church, and see what was felt by early Christian teachers in days subsequent to the close of the Canon, in order that, when we examine the literal meaning of the Scriptures upon the point, we may have some security that we are not interpreting those Scriptures in a modern fashion. The student of this particular subject, in searching for references to the patristic teaching, naturally turns first to Daille's attack upon the Roman doctrine of his day, in his treatise De Coiifirmytione (A.D. 1659). Daille was answered on the Continent by James de Saintebeuve, the friend of the Port Royalists, whose work was printed by his brother after the author's death, in 1686, and by J. A. Assernan, in his Codex Liturgicus, vol. iii. (1750), and others; in England, by Henry Hammond, in his De Con- firmatione sive Benedictione post Baptismum Solenni (1683). All three are valuable books. Upon the technical questions concerning the matter, form, and minister of Confirmation, the De Synodo Dioecesana (1758) of the most learned of Preface. ix the modern Popes, Benedict XIV., is still useful. The most elaborate and extensive treatise upon the subject, however, is that ascribed to Charles Witasse, one of the Paris professors who resisted the bull Unigenitus. Witasse died in 1716, and the book was published in 1722 ; but the editors of Migne's Theologiae Cursus Completus (vol. viii. p. 10) say that it was by another hand, by an Oratorian father. It is printed, nevertheless, under the name of Witasse, in the twenty-first volume of the Cursus. Doctrinally, this treatise is poor, and far inferior to Saintebeuve, from whom much of its learning is derived. It is a relief to turn from arid discussions like these, of a controversial or of an antiquarian nature, to Hooker's chapter in the fifth book of his Ecclesiastical Polity ; and still more to Jeremy Taylor's " Xpicris reXewurt/crJ, a Discourse of Con- firmation" (1663), by far the richest and most edifying work upon the subject with which I am acquainted. Bishop Hall's paper on Con- firmation (1649), though devout, is meagre and slight. Of recent books, the best on the subject that I know is the beautiful Dogmatische Lehre von den heiligen Sakramenten of J. H. Oswald, of Braunsberg (4th edition 1877), which teaches the doctrine of the personal indwelling of the 6 x Preface. Holy Spirit by means of Confirmation, with a firmness and force which leave nothing to be desired, and with a Christian reasonableness which only that indwelling could impart. In England the primitive doctrine has been well stated in a brief form by the late Mr. John Frere, in a book called The Doctrine of Imposi- tion of Hands; or Confirmation the ordained and ordinary means for conveying the Grift of the Holy Ghost (1845) ; and by Mr. F. W. PuUer, now of the Society of S. John the Evangelist, Cowley, in his little tract (1880), unhappily at present out of print, What is the Distinctive Grace of Confirmation? To Father Puller's kindness I owe it that I have been able to read the now scarce work of Saintebeuve, in a copy belonging to the library of his House. In the general works on Christian doctrine, Confirma- tion receives the best and worthiest treatment from Klee Katholische Dogmatik (2nd edition, 1841), Martinet Institutions Theologicae (1859), and Friedhoff Katholische Dogmatik (2nd edition, 187" 5); and, to go further east, from Macarius, Bishop of Vinnitza and Rector of the Ecclesiastical Academy of S. Petersburg, whose Theologie Dogmatiyue (that is, in the French translation) bears date 1857. Most modern Preface. xi Koman books on doctrine in general, for in- stance Perrone, Gousset, or Hurter, only reveal the sterility of traditional dogmatism in this matter. I have not thought it needful to give in elaborate detail the history of opinion upon Con- firmation since the close of the patristic period. The Holy English Church appeals always to. Scrip- ture interpreted by primitive antiquity, and I thought that it would weary the reader, without rewarding him, to carry the discussion later. A considerable number of the passages quoted in the following pages have not, so far as I know, been brought together before for the elucidation of the doctrine of Confirmation ; and I have tried to examine more systematically than others have had occasion to do, the expressions of particular teachers, like S. Clement of Alexandria, and S. Austin, for example ;. and, in the appendices to the various chapters, the language of the most ancient baptismal Liturgies, to use that word with the latitude which Asseman vindi- cated for it. It is, more than possible that I have overlooked, some passages in the patristic writers which bear upon the point I am investi- gating, but I have not purposely omitted any. At the risk of being tedious, I have thought xii Preface. it best to set forth at length all the materials which were within my knowledge, in order that every reader might easily judge for himself how the matter stands. My object is not contro- versial. I have wished to be especially careful to note any approach to the opinion prevalent in the modern English Church, that the in- dwelling gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed in Baptism apart from Confirmation. That opinion begins to show signs of creeping into the Church in the West in the ninth century; but its absence from all previous teaching is most noticeable and suggestive. In the East, it is doubtful whether that opinion has ever crept in at all. So far as I am aware, the evidence on these points has never been syste- matically arranged in print before. Questions of ritual, such as those debated be- tween Sirmond and Aurelius upon the " matter " of Confirmation, and between the English Jesuits and the Sorbonne upon the " minister " and upon the relation between Confirmation and the baptismal unction, can be studied in Witasse or some other of the works which I have named ; but it may clear the mind of the reader to be told that the name of Confirmation is only a Western name, and is not found until the fifth Preface. xiii century, and that in the Eastern authors, and the earlier Western ones, that which we under- stand by Confirmation is only described by its constituent acts or elements as parts of the order of Holy Baptism. From the earliest times after the close of the Canon of Scripture, there were three main acts in Baptism to which grace was thought to be attached. Pre-eminent amongst a host of symbolical ceremonies to which no such idea was attached, stand the bap- tismal Immersion, the subsequent Anointing, and the Imposition of Hands, or, as it almost in- variably appears in Latin, " of the Hand." In the West, these three always occupy the same order in relation to each other. Along with them appears, at first in a somewhat unsettled order with regard to the others, the signing of the forehead with the Cross. By the fifth cen- tury the signing or " sealing," had begun in- variably to follow at once upon the Laying on of the Hand, forming, in fact, but one gesture with it, while the words of the ministrant in sealing made part of the same sentence in which he invoked the sevenfold Spirit to attend the Laying on of the Hand. Whether from the first this sealing was done with Chrism, or conse- crated unguent, is not certain ; at any rate it xiv Preface. was so from the time of Innocent I., in the case of persons who had been baptized without the bishop's presence, and probably in the case of all. When, therefore, the Fathers especially the later ones speak of Unction, or the Chrism, it is not always obvious which application of the anointing oil they refer to. At first, un- doubtedly, the former was considered the more important ; at a later time, the latter acquired from the circumstances of its employment the greater veneration, and even came to be regarded as the essential feature of the Laying on of Hands. In the East, except in the Egyptian Church, the Laying on of Hands, as a distinct rite, soon melted away, and the Unctions are more profusely administered. The " Seal " occupies the most prominent position. Dr. Oswald says very truly (vol. i. p. 261) : " In the early Church, with regard to certain sacraments indistinct and confused ideas pre- vailed at times, because, although these means of grace were then administered and received with great earnestness, there was as yet no orderly and systematic theory of them. This remark applies in a high degree to our sacrament [Con- firmation]. We find in the ancient authors many expressions with regard to Confirmation Preface. xv which are now seldom heard. The title of it is variable, the information concerning the sacra- mental action indefinite, the description of its relation to Baptism often incorrect, so that it is no easy matter to make out exactly the meaning of particular Fathers with regard to this sacra- ment." But the matter is somewhat easier for us English Churchmen, who are not bound to prove that Confirmation is a separate sacrament. To us it is no incorrect description of the relation of Confirmation to Baptism when the Fathers say that in Baptism the Holy Ghost is given, meaning thereby that He is given in that part of the baptismal sacrament which we know by the name of Confirmation. ALLHALLCTWS BARKING, S. Bartholomew's Day, 189L PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION IN a work of this kind, dealing with many writings of antiquity, it is not easy to be always in accurate accordance with the latest discoveries of criticism. Since the first edition was pub- lished, Haussleiter's work upon Primasius, Engel- brecht's upon Faustus of Riez, and that of Achelis upon the Coptic Constitutions, have necessitated some readjustment of my material. It is, I fear, only too probable that other re- adjustments might be desirable ; but I have done the best I could to bring this edition up to the present state of knowledge with regard to the patristic literature. The changes which I have had to make have no doctrinal value ; nor have any of the criticisms upon my book which have appeared shown cause why any alteration in this direction should be made. No passage of Holy Scripture or of any ancient Father has yet been produced, BO far as I have heard, to show that " the gift of the Holy Ghost " was thought to be received in Baptism pure and simple, or that Confirmation was considered to be a separate thing from xviii Preface to the Second Edition. Baptism. Until such passages are produced, it will be safe, I believe, to rest upon the doctrine which these pages set forth. But it may be well, perhaps, in order to protect that doctrine from being misrepresented by carelessness or prejudice, to draw special attention to those parts of my work, such as pp. 35, 427, 428, 432-434, 455, where the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism proper is spoken of. Those who care to see how Confirmation has fared in the Reformed Churches of the Continent, especially among the Lutherans, will find its fortunes interestingly traced by Professor Walter Caspari, in his Evangelische Konfirmation (Leipzig, 1891). Caspari, however, takes pains to show that the modern Konfirmation is not the same thing as the ancient sacrament which bears for us that name. Amongst those whom I have most to thank for help in reference to various matters connected with this work, I must name first the ever-to-be- revered name of Dr. Hort, who gave me the benefit of criticisms only too few in number ; and then, my friend the Rev. A. E. Burn, who first drew my attention to Engelbrecht's work on Faustus. LONDON, January 16, 1893. CONTENTS PACK INTRODUCTION i SECTION I. THE WITNESS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE, Baptism, Unction, and Laying on of Hands in the Old Testament 7 Did the Apostles use Unction ? 10 Our Lord's Baptism 14 The Paschal and Pentecostal Bestowals of the Spirit .... 16 I. Passages treating directly of both Baptism and Confirmation (i.) Acts viii. 14-17 18 (ii.) Actsxix. 1-8 .. 23 (iii.) Heb. vi. 1-6 28 II. Passages suggesting a twofold work in Baptism, but not mentioning a double rite S. John iii. 5 not one of these 34 (i.) Acts ii. 38, 39 36 (ii.) Acts x. 47 37 (iil) i Cor. x. i 40 (iv.) I Cor. xii. 13 42 (v.) Gal. iv. 4 44 (vi.) Tit. iii. 4 46 References elsewhere to one or other of the baptismal acts without either being named 50 SECTION II. PATRISTIC TESTIMONY. CHAPTER I. THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS. The so-called "Second Epistle of Clement," and Hermas . . 54 Teaching of the Twelve Apostles 54 Barnabas 56 xx Contents. CHAPTER II. THE AFRICAN CHURCH. PACK Tertullian 59 Cyprian 64 Contemporary African bishops 76 Lacta'ntius 77 Optatus 78 Austin . 81 on the component parts of Baptism 82 on the value of Unction 86 on the value of Laying on of Hands 93 on the relation of Unction to Laying on of Hands . . . 105 on their common relation to Baptism 106 on the gradation of gifts of the Spirit 107 Eugenius 108 CHAPTER III. ROME AND THE WEST. Irenaeus no Hippolytus 117 Cornelius 119 Novatian 120 The treatise De Rebaptismate 122 (Victorinus of Pettau) 131 note Council of Elvira 131 Council of Aries 132 Hilary of Poitiers 133 Pacian 139 The School of Northern Italy : Zeno of Verona 143 Ambrose of Milan 145 description of baptismal rites 146 their respective values . . 151 Gaudentius of Brescia 154 Rufiaus of Aquileia 156 Peter of Ravenna 157 Maximus of Turin 15^ Contents. xxi The Roman School : Hilary the Commentator 160 Jerome 163 minimises the difference between the baptismal and the subsequent gift 165 on the value of Unction 172 summary of his teaching 174 Roman bishops : Since 177 Innocent 178 (Prudentius) 181 note Leo 183 The Gallican divines : Prosper 188 Salvian 189 Faustus 190 The treatise Praedestinatus 196 Gennadius 197 The later Roman School : John the Deacon ' 199 Gregory the Great 202 The Scholars of the Transition period : Isidore of Seville 208 Hildefonsus 209 Bede 212 Alcuin 214 replies to his enquiries from Odilbert 216 Amalarius of Treves . .217 Leidrad 217 Magnus 218 Theodulf 219 teaching of his disciples Amalarius of Metz 220 Raban 223 Pseudo-Primasius and Haymo 228 xxiv Contents. PAGE Two senses in which the Holy Spirit is said to dwell in us, objective and subjective 448 It is the objective indwelling which is the Gift of Confirmation 450 But it ought to be followed by the subjective, known by some as the " Baptism of the Spirit " 453 Hard to trace the difference between the effects of Regeneration and those of the Indwelling because the first without the second is abnormal 454 Difference of condition in the Human Nature of our Lord before and after His Baptism 456 Our Confirmation, though not wholly like His, an ordination to priesthood 461 Difference of condition in the Apostles produced by the Paschal and the Pentecostal Gifts 464 Effects of Pentecost upon the Apostles not identical with normal effects of Confirmation, especially in regard to (a) plenary inspiration 474 (b) miraculous charismata 476 Confirmation an endowment of the regenerate man to take his place in God's world 478 Its chief benefits gathered from the passages of Holy Scripture which describe the Holy Spirit as a Spirit "of" various gifts and graces 480 INTRODUCTION. BAPTISM and Confirmation can only be regarded, by those who value the teaching of antiquity, as forming together one sacrament ; and yet each part of that sacrament has its own special gift to convey. Con- firmation is continually treated in early writings as one of the baptismal rites ; and Baptism is spoken of as including in its spiritual effects that which it only includes inasmuch as it comprises also Confirma- tion. 1 And because the connexion between the two sacramental actions is so close, the peculiar and dis- tinctive graces attached to them have often been confounded. This result has at different times been reached by different ways. When, in the sixteenth century, the Churches of the West came afresh into contact with those of the more remote East, it was supposed and the discovery caused a shock of horror on both sides that the West had, or professed to have, a sacrament unknown in the East. The cause was, or was at least in part, that whereas in the West Baptism and Confirmation had been increasingly differentiated, until it was difficult to discern their original oneness, in the far East they had been 1 See the admirable dissertation of Touttee in his edition of S. Cyril of Jerusalem, p. clxxxix. foil. B 2 Confusion of Confirmation with Baptism. increasingly fused, until it was difficult to discern their original separateness of character. At times the tendency has been to reduce those acts which constitute Baptism and Confirmation, to a series of significant ceremonies performed in the course of a single operation of grace, all necessary to the due completeness of Baptism, but none of them or sometimes one and sometimes another actually communicative of special gifts. As, in the case of the other great sacrament of the Gospel, the benefits of Holy Communion have come to be commonly attributed, and that not only, though most markedly, in the Roman Church, to the whole gracious trans- action indiscriminately, and men have failed to perceive any special virtue in the participation of the Cup of the Lord, as distinguished from the sacred Bread, so, in the case of the first sacrament, it has often happened that devout believers have been content to find all the baptismal graces in Baptism as a whole, without analysing further. They have hardly cared to inquire which portion of the rite is the channel of which gift. As might be expected, this tendency was especially to be observed among the ancient teachers of the Eastern portion of the Church, where Confirmation has always been administered concurrently with Baptism, or if not always, yet much more regularly so than in the West. In the West, Confirmation has, as a rule, for nearly ten centuries been separated in practice from Baptism; it has been erected, with much insistence, into an independent sacrament ; and Separation of the two rites in the West. 3 it has, therefore, necessarily attracted to itself the special attention of theologians. The effect, however, upon dogmatic statement has not been quite what might have been anticipated. While Eastern divines, since the great division took place, have generally adhered closely to the language of Scripture and primitive antiquity when obliged to discern in Con- firmation something more than a feature in Baptism, Western divines, though with many exceptions, have been led in a different direction. The complete division between rites so essentially connected has resulted, among them, in effacing or blurring the outlines of both; and, in order to satisfy the expressions of Holy Scripture and of ancient authors with regard to Baptism, the true key to which was lost, it was felt necessary to restrict the value of Con- firmation within narrow limits, and to give to the earlier half of the complex sacrament much that in better times was unhesitatingly ascribed to the second. And in the Reformed Churches of the West, this tendency has had even more effect than in the unreformed. The reluctance to dignify by the name of a sacrament anything which cannot be directly proved to have been instituted by Christ Himself while He was on earth, led many of the earlier teachers in controversy with Rome still further to enrich Baptism at the expense of the Laying on of Hands. So great a gift as that which belongs to Confirmation could not consistently be traced to a rite which was less than a sacrament. It became 4 Modern English view of Baptism. imperative, therefore, where sacraments were still regarded as more than symbols, to trace the gift to the application of that baptismal Water which Christ had undoubtedly prescribed, and to reduce Confirma- tion to a blessing pronounced upon those who were publicly taking up their baptismal inheritance. This once done, and the tradition accepted, it seemed something like a treason to wish to restore the language of older days ; and the revival of an energetic faith in the Divine means of grace, which has so marked our own generation in England, has, in many quarters, made men cleave with increased tenacity to forms of expression regarding Baptism which not only leave scanty room for what properly belongs to the Laying on of Hands, but which also react upon Baptism itself by exaggerating difficulties already felt by many to be connected with it. In the following dissertation I shall endeavour to set forth articulately the primitive teaching upon this fundamental subject. I hope that I need not disavow any inclination to make light of the most precious sacrament of our Regeneration; but at the same time, if I succeed in my object, it will appear that language which is frequently used amongst us in reference to Baptism in the modern sense of that word, is, if we defer to ancient usage, only applicable to Baptism, when Baptism is again regarded as including Confirmation also. It will appear that if we are still to treat the two grace-giving rites as if they were not parts of a single whole, we ought at least not to teach men to expect, in receiving the first Objects of this investigation. to become partakers of that which God has attached to the second. For the objects of this investigation it will not be necessary to enter upon certain often-debated questions, important in themselves, but belonging rather to Canon Law than to Theology proper with regard to the matter, and to the minister, of Confirmation. It is not my purpose to inquire what constitutes a valid Confirmation, whether the proper matter of it be Unction, or Laying on of Hands, or both combined, or either alternatively, nor "what is the necessary "form" or accompanying words, nor whether the administration of it is to be restricted to any special order in the Church. For my purpose it will be sufficient to accept as Confirmation what- ever seems at any time to have been so accepted. 1 My object is only to ascertain what it is that we receive by Confirmation in addition to the purely Baptismal grace, when all the right conditions are fulfilled. The course of the investigation will be as follows. In the first instance I shall review briefly those passages of the Bible which bear directly upon the subject, endeavouring to extract from them their literal and grammatical meaning, but reserving their spiritual importance for further examination at the close. Then, I shall pass to the doctrine of Confirmation as it appears in the history of the early Church, embodied in liturgical formulas, and occasionally in the decrees of Councils, as well as in 1 So Hooker, for instance, does (Ecd. Pol. book V. 66). Course of this investigation. the writings of individual teachers. We shall then be in a position to consider the more mysterious and the more profitable question, what, after all, is meant by the sacred phrases whose history we have endeavoured to trace. SECTION I. THE WITNESS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. MOST of the rites and institutions of the Christian religion are adapted from rites and institutions previously existing in the Church of the Jews. Among such is the sacrament of Baptism. S. John the Forerunner, though he derived his title from the rite of baptism, was not the first to invent it. Baptism had long been regularly used for the admission of proselytes from other nations to the religious com- munity of Israel ; l and, in a more occasional manner, it was used in the case of cleansing from various Levitical defilements, and as a preliminary to the consecration of priests to their office, 2 and before the offering of certain sacrifices (as on the great day of Atonement 3 ), and on other solemn occasions. Of these various baptisms (which, of course, all have one signification, namely that of cleansing from pollutions, in preparation for something sacred to come), the one most like to Christian Baptism is the baptism of proselytes. It would be a matter of great interest if it could be discovered that this baptism of 1 See Edersheim Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah App. xii. * Exod. xxix. 4. 3 Lev. xvi. 4. 8 Baptisms among the Jews. proselytes included any ceremonies at all corresponding to the New Testament Confirmation. Dr. Edersheim 1 says that it "would of course be accompanied by exhortations and benedictions." So far, however, as I, have been able to ascertain, it was not accompanied either by any anointing or by any benedictory B application of the hand. Nor did either of these actions, so far as we know, find a place in the baptism of John, although Theodoret and others 2 assume that John used a laying on of hands. It was, then, a new idea, to attach the rites of unction and of laying on of hands to the Baptism which was to admit men as proselytes into the Christian Church. In order to see what this new grouping would imply, it is necessary to see how these rites were employed before the coming of Christ. Unction was employed as a sign of the consecration both of things and of persons. Thus Jacob poured oil upon the stone which he erected at Bethel (Gen. xxviii. 18), and Moses was bidden to anoint the tabernacle and every article of its furniture (Exod. xl. 9). Persons were anointed to three kinds of office. Every one is familiar with the threefold division of the office of the Christ, the Anointed, which is based upon this fact. It seems that prophets were anointed, at least in some instances, for Elijah is bidden to anoint Elisha to be prophet in his room (1 Kings xix. 16), though the language may perhaps be figurative, as we do not read of his actually performing such a rite. Kings were undoubtedly anointed, and so were 1 L. c. p. 746. * See below, p. 372. Old Testament uses of Unction. 9 priests ; and the meaning of the symbol, half -sacra- mental as it was, is clearly seen when we read in connexion with the anointing of David that " Samuel took the Jhorn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day onward " (1 Sam. xvi. 13). It is important to observe that in the case of the consecration of priests, this unction followed close upon a baptism (Exod. xxix. 4, 7). No one would doubt that in this case the unction is the greater rite of the two, and constitutes the very " ordination " of the priest, to which the baptism acts as a necessary antecedent. The same order is signifi- cantly observed in the case of the cleansing of a leper. The leper first washes, twice over, at an interval of seven days, and on the day after the second baptism he receives a special form of anointing (Lev. xiv. 8, 9, 17, 18). It betokens his readmission to member- ship in a consecrated and priestly people, for which his washing prepares him, but which his washing does not itself confer. 1 Laying on of hands is no part of the ordinary and prescribed ritual of the Old Testament; 2 but it is 1 It is thought by some of the Fathers that the unction of Solomon to be king was preceded by a baptism, because David commands that he should be " brought down to Gihon " to be anointed (1 Kings i. 33, 34). Possibly they confounded this Gihon with the river of Paradise (Gen. ii. 13); but the place was a place of waters (see Smith's Diet, of the Bible, . .)> au( i no other reason is known for selecting that spot for Solomon's inauguration. 2 It is indeed prescribed for a purpose very distant from that for which the Church has learned to use it ; for instance Lev. xxv. 14, and compare Lev. xvi. 21. The point in which all layings ou of the hand io Laying on of Hands in the Old Testament. frequently used in solemn benedictions, as in that of the sons of Joseph by Jacob (Gen. xlviii. 14). Its full meaning in the New Dispensation is foreshadowed where we read, as if it were the thing to be naturally expected, that " Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom ; for Moses had laid his hands upon him " (Deut. xxxiv. 9). At a later time, but before the days of our Lord's earthly life, the appointment of a Rabbi took place by " laying on," or Semikhah, as it was called ; 1 and it is said that only those were allowed thus to lay on hands who could trace their own ordination, if I may call it so, up to Moses through Joshua. The Rev. Michael Rosenthal tells me that the rite is used when a Jewish child is admitted to be, according to the well-known custom, a " son of precept." " There is not," he says, " any known ancient formula for the benediction or rather invocation. But invariably the Rabbi puts both hands on the head of the boy and prays that God might bless and defend that son of Israel and make him a blessing to his people." Mr. Rosenthal adds that this ceremony was never called by the name of "laying on" (or Semikhah). It is, however, very doubtful how ancient this custom may be. It must always remain a question whether the rite of Unction in Baptism was used by the Apostles themselves. The language of S. Paul and of S. John resemble each other is that they all solemnly designate the object upon which the Divine blessing or wrath is invoked, and determine it upon that object. 1 Edersheim Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah vol. ii. p. 3:52. Did the Apostles use Unction ? 1 1 (2 Cur. i. 21 ; 1 John ii. 20 foil.), as is now universally acknowledged, refers to the inward unction of the Holy Ghost, and not to an outward symbol of it ; but at the same time the language would have additional force if it reminded the reader of a visible act which had been performed upon him. Such expressions abound in the Fathers who habitually used the rite : they delight to refer mystically to the thing signified in terms derived from that which signifies it. It will be seen hereafter 1 that it was almost certainly employed by those who enjoyed the confidence of S. John in his old age. And it seems to me difficult to suppose that the rite could have become so universal at so early a date as it undoubtedly did, if it had not had the highest of sanctions. The idea which such an unction suggested, to those whose minds were steeped in the symbolism of the Old Testament, is an idea which the Apostles emphasize. It would not be an emblem of the consecrating influence of the Holy Spirit in general ; it would be the sign of consecration to a priesthood. This is a thought expressed by S. Peter and by S. John. " Ye are a chosen generation, a royal hierarchy, a sacred people" (1 Pet. ii. 9). " He made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father " (Rev. i. 6). The same thought underlies the imagery of the Epistle to the Hebrews, where every Christian now, under the " Great Priest," has right of way into the Holy of Holies, " having his body washed with pure water." Christian Baptism, given once for all, is made parallel with the baptism of the Jewish 1 See p. 256. 12 Connexion of Unction with Laying on high priest, renewed every year on the day of his most solemn service. If this idea of the priesthood of the Christian was so prominent in the thoughts of the Apostles, there would be nothing strange in their using a ceremony which perfectly expressed it ; nor, indeed, in its forming part of those instructions concerning the kingdom of God which Christ gave them, by the Holy Ghost, between His resurrection and His ascension (Acts i. 2, 3). If our Lord did not prescribe, nor the Apostles practise, the rite of unction in Baptism, it is certain that a rite was practised and insisted upon, and blessed by the Holy Ghost, if not ordered by Christ, which was closely connected with anointing. Our Lord, who Himself used the natural and affecting gesture of laying on His hand in blessing, and in healing, who took the little children in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them, and to whom men came with the request, " Lay Thine hand upon her, and she shall live," promised His disciples that when they should imitate His example with sick folk, the healing effect should follow: "They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall be well " ([S. Mark] xvi. 18). The disciples had already, no doubt by His direction, obtained the same beneficent end by means of a rite of unction : " They cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them" (S. Mark vi. 13). And S. James seems to teach that the conditions of our Lord's promise to the faithful use of laying on of hands were satisfied by continuing to use this unction : " Let them pray over of Hands, and difference in their meaning. 1 3 him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up " (S. James v. 14, 15). The unction of the sick, and laying of hands upon them, are not identical with those which belong to Baptism; but they bear a close resemblance to them, and they show how near akin the two rites are between them- selves. Both are forms of solemnly setting a person apart, and commending him to God, calling down and applying to the person so blessed the graces and powers of the Holy Ghost. If we may attempt to trace a distinction between the two symbols so intimately associated together, perhaps Unction repre- sents more definitely the thought of consecration, and Laying on of Hands that of benediction. Thus in Baptism, the Unction attaches itself more directly to the Laver, as an official dedication to the Christian priesthood, for which the man has been made ready by the washing away of his sins ; while the Laying on of Hands, which speaks rather of a transmission of sacred powers from man to man and from genera- tion to generation, calls the new-made Christian to wider duties in the world, and invokes upon him the Spirit by which he may be enabled to accomplish his task. 1 Before examining the passages of the New Testa- ment which treat directly of Confirmation in its 1 Laying on of Hands seems distinctly to imply a personal contact ; but at no very late period in the Christian Church it began to be thought that the term was satisfied by a lifting up of the hands over the persons to be blessed. 14 The Baptism of our 'Lord relation to Baptism, a very few words must be pre- mised upon two deep subjects closely connected with the whole inquiry. The first is the Baptism of our Blessed Lord ; the second is the Lord's twofold giving of the Holy Ghost. (a) A man may well shrink from even touching upon so mysterious a theme as the Baptism of Christ. It will not, however, be necessary for us here to attempt to deal with every aspect of it. We are not bound to consider, for our immediate purpose, some questions relating to the person of Christ which His Baptism suggested to the ancient theologians, how He who is the giver of the Holy Ghost, could come to be the recipient ; how He, through whom all others obtain the Divine Unction, could be anointed, or anoint Himself, as Christ ; and the like. It is perhaps not intended that we should be able to trace out a resemblance in every particular between the Baptism which our Lord underwent and that to which He invites us. His Baptism was in more than one respect different from ours. Outwardly it had the form of the baptism of John, though the spiritual movements which attended it were more like to those of the Christian sacrament. We need not therefore be solicitous because there was, so far as we are aware, no symbolical unction in it but only the spiritual analogue, and no imposition of hands unless we say with Optatus that the voice from heaven took its place. 1 Christ's Baptism, though in a sense it was the in- auguration of ours, does not in every detail form a 1 See below, p. 79. consisted of various parts. 1 5 model to be rigidly copied in ours. The point in which chiefly we may see guidance for the matter now in hand is this: Our Lord's own Baptism con- sisted of more than a single act, while remaining essentially one throughout. It culminated in the descent of the Holy Ghost to abide upon Him; but this descent was not the concomitant of the actual immersion. The immersion was a preparation for it, no doubt, but only a preparation. " On being baptized," we read (ftmrrurOttg), "Jesus went straightway up from the water ; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God, descending like a dove, coming upon Him; and behold, a voice from the heavens saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." * S. Mark makes the moment of the descent still clearer ; " And immediately, as He was coming up (avaflatvwv) out of the water, He saw the heavens rending, and the Spirit, like a dove, de- scending upon Him." 2 S. Luke adds a further detail : "Jesus having been baptized and being engaged in prayer (ficnrTKrOtvTog KOI Tr/ooo-ev^ojutvou), the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily appearance like a dove upon Him." 3 This is not the moment at which to ponder the effects which were produced upon the human nature of our Saviour by His Baptism and by the descent of the Spirit upon Him. To this mystery it may be proper to recur hereafter. All that need be said now is that there are two mistakes to be avoided. One mistake (of which probably no one within the borders 1 S. Matt. iii. 16. S. Mark i. 10. ' S. Luke iii. 21. 1 6 His Baptism prepared for the Spirit's Coming. of the Church was ever guilty) would be to suppose that this was the first visitation of the Holy Spirit to the Incarnate Lord; the other mistake is to suppose that what now happened was only outward and visible, a sign by which John might identify the Lamb of God, or to indicate the blessings in store for those who should be baptized with Christian Baptism, but adding no new enrichment to the de- veloping life or work of Christ. This latter opinion might, indeed, without difficulty, find support in utterances of ancient teachers of great authority ; but none the less it cannot but be mistaken. Assuming, therefore, that the descent of the Spirit to abide upon Christ represents a true epoch in the inner life of the Incarnate Lord, and that it has some resemblance to the gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed in the Church, we observe that though given in the course of what we call His Baptism, it is not given by means of the Baptism itself. Whether any new direct action of the Holy Spirit upon His sacred soul was set up by the Baptism itself, we are not told ; John's baptism was for others only a baptism of repentance and not a sacrament of grace, not even conveying (though some in old days believed that it conveyed) forgiveness of sins, and by John's own confession destitute of the future gift of the Holy Ghost. But whatever the act of Baptism itself was or was not to our Lord, it was by a distinct, though connected, movement, that He received the abiding unction of the Holy Ghost. (6) Two opposite mistakes are, as has been said, possible with regard to the coming of the Holy Ghost The Paschal and Pentecostal Gifts. \ 7 upon Christ at His Baptism. Two opposite mistakes, likewise, not only are possible, but have actually been made, in relation to the twofold bestowal of the Spirit after the Lord's Death and Resurrection. It has been supposed on the one hand that when He breathed upon His disciples on the night after His Resurrection He bestowed upon them, then and there, all that He had promised when He foretold the coming of the new Comforter; and that the Day of Pentecost brought no new gift, but Avas only the open manifes- tation of what had already been received. It has been supposed on the other hand that the breathing, and the words which accompanied it, conveyed nothing to the disciples at the time, and were only a further promise of what was to come fifty days later. Both these opinions seem to be far from the truth. Ouv Lord would not have performed a symbolic action, saying, " Receive ye," if the symbol did not represent an actual and concurrent bestowal of the thing He spoke of. Nor, again, would He have said, " Wait for the promise of the Father," " Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence," if the gift given immediately after the Resurrection had comprised all that they were waiting for. The meaning of the two givings of the Spirit, and their relation to each other, will come before us again from time to time. Here we need only observe that neither giving is so to be treated as to evacuate the other. It is natural to suppose that the Paschal gift stands related to the Pentecostal as Baptism is related to Confirmation (see Dr. Westcott on S. John xx. 22; ; c 1 8 The Confirmation at Samaria. but whether this be an exact statement of the case or not, the successive bestowals, at definite moments, of gifts akin to each other but not identical, prepares us for those words of Holy Scripture which teach us directly concerning the double sacrament of our initiation into Christ. It shews us that what in one aspect, may be called a giving or receiving of the Holy Ghost, may in another aspect be denied to be such, because the name belongs so much more fully to a subsequent act of the divine bounty as to make it unnatural to describe the earlier one in those terms. I now proceed to the passages of Holy Scripture which show directly the connexion between Confirma- tion and Baptism. These may be divided into two groups. In the one group both rites are expressly mentioned ; in the other, both are implied. I. Three well-known passages are comprised in the former group. (i.) Of these the first in order of time, and of pre- cision also, is that which records the work of S. Philip the Evangelist at Samaria. We read there that " the Apostles at Jerusalem, hearing that Samaria had received the word of God, sent to them Peter and John; who, 1 on coming down, prayed concerning them, that 2 they might receive the Holy Spirit. For upon none of them was He as yet fallen ; but they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, 1 The word olnvts implies that it was the purpose of their mission. * The word oVws implies that the gift of the Holy Ghost was not only the thing which they prayed for, but that their prayer was instrumental in obtaining the gift. Thus it has usually been heM that such a prayer is e.-sential to a valiil Confirmation. " As yet He was fallen upon none." 19 and no more. Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit." 1 Nothing could be clearer than the distinction which the sacred historian here observes between Christen- ing and the Laying on of Hands. The men of whom he speaks had already been " baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus." They had passed, therefore, into the number of those who belonged to Him. They were members of His Church. They were no longer as before their Baptism, believers indeed, but be- lievers waiting outside the gate. They had been definitely admitted into a participation of the privi- leges and benefits of Christianity. S. Luke does not, however, specify the advantages which, by this means, they already enjoyed; he assumes that these are known ; he rather draws attention to that which they still lacked. The great prerogative of the Gospel dispensation is the gift of that which he calls " Holy Spirit." This had not yet been vouchsafed to them. It formed no part of that Baptism through which they had passed. Out of all the numbers who had been christened, there was not one upon whom this gift had descended. The gift is not spoken of as a thing of degrees, a measure of which had already 1 Acts viii. 14-17: aKova-avres 5e ot eV 'Ifpo irv(iifj.a ayiov. utSe'irai yap f/v en-' ovSfvl avriav tiwrtirruicos, p&vov 8e Pepa.irTifffiiei'Oi irtrrjpxoi' rb ovofj.a rov Kvpiov 'l7jD. Tore tirtri&fffav ras x f ~ l P (ls ' lr ' auTous, /col tAo^apov irvtCjuo ayiov. It will be observed that the expression here (as in Acts xix. 2) is wveC/xo Hyiov, not ri> Hyiov Tj/fvua. The imperfect e\d/j.&avov seems to mean that one after anotlier was seen to receive the gift 2O Baptism incomplete without the Gift. been given, though not the whole. The distinction is sharp and absolute. Whatever is meant in the Acts of the Apostles by " receiving Holy Spirit," these men and women of Samaria, whom Philip had bap- tized into the name of the Lord Jesus, had had no such experience. And yet the language employed appears to indicate that there was something unsatisfactory in such a position. "They had only been baptized." It was an unusual situation for Christian men to be found in, baptized, and yet not possessed of the specific gift of " Holy Spirit." Christian initiation so it is implied ought normally to have included this gift. It was as if they had been stopped in the middle of their Baptism, one part of it validly conferred and not needing to be repeated, but another kept in reserve. Their Baptism was not as yet consummated by that great blessing to which it was an introduc- tion. Though very far from being a barren and ineffectual ceremony, their Baptism by itself was nevertheless, in the eyes of the inspired writer, an inchoate thing, demanding the gift of " Holy Spirit " as its natural and destined completion. This natural and destined completion it only received through the prayers and the imposed hands of the Apostles who came down from Jerusalem for the purpose. The reason why the Samaritan converts did not receive the Holy Spirit at the outset is not to be found in any irregularity or deficiency, either in the men themselves, 1 or in the form of their Baptism, or 1 This is the view taken even by Neander Planting of Christianity p. CO foil. (ed. Bolin). Why had they not received it? 21 in the person who administered it. For the men themselves, no conversion could be more satisfactory than that which is traced in the sacred narrative. Entranced attention to the words of the Evangelist, much joy as apprehension became increasingly clear, the dissipation of formerly strong delusions, confident acceptance of Philip's message concerning " the king- dom of God and the name of Jesus Christ," all led the way to the birth of water and Spirit through which they entered into that kingdom, and inherited the salvation contained in that name. Nor is the fact that they are said to have been " baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus " any ground for supposing that an insufficient formula of Baptism was employed. If it were so, then many other Baptisms recorded in the Acts of the Apostles were insufficient likewise. We need not now pause to inquire what were the words used. Whatever they were, the historian evidently intends us to understand that the Baptism was as true Christian Baptism as any other. 1 Nor 1 Acts ii. 38 (M r$ ov6fj.a.ri) \ X. 48 (h ri>Tos rdx a ' ro ^ s awo(nd\ovs), but considers it less probable than the view that S. Philip was not empowered to confer the gift. It has also been held in modern times. 2 This is the view advocated by Msyer ad loc. The question is discussed at length by Baumgarten (Apost. Hist. vol. i. pp. 190-198), who endeavours to reconcile Neander's view with Meyer's. 3 It is frequently urged that the word firnrtirreiv used in this passage is only applicable to the gift of the miraculous charismata, and not of sanctifying grace. It is true that something of violence and suddenness seems to be implied ; but in any case it is the Holy Ghost Himself who falls upon men, and not His gifts, whether moral or miraculous ; and the fact that He comes in an extraordinary mode does not preclude His bringing with Him His ordinary influences. Oswald Dogmat. Lehre v. d. hi. Sakram. vol. i. p. 256 has some excellent remarks upon this subject; among others, that if He is called expressly the " Holy " Spirit in this context, it is impossible to exclude the thought of His sanctifying action. 24 Johns Disciples at Ephesus. Acts xviii. 24-xix. 8, reveals to us a phenomenon of great interest. A body of earnest disciples of S. John the Baptist appears unexpectedly, side by side with the Apostolic Church, and mixing with it without the difference being at once and to all apparent. S. Paul, however, upon arriving at Ephesus, where these "disciples" were, observed, as it seems, that they were not like other Christians. His question may, indeed, have been one which he was accustomed to put to disciples whom he had not seen before. But more probably it was occasioned by perceiving that the men were lacking in those spiritual gifts which abounded in the Church. He asked them whether they had " received the Holy Spirit on becoming believers." l Evidently this was the case with most Christians ; but these men replied, with some surprise, that they had not even been informed on that occasion of the existence of any " Holy Spirit." By this, of course, must be understood that they had not heard of the fulfilment of their founder's prophecy ; they did not know that the promised gift was already to be had. 2 The Apostle perceived at once that their baptism for either he assumed that they had been baptized in some form, or perhaps had been told of it before was not the usual Christian Baptism, and he inquired what it had been. He was informed that it was the baptism of John. Thereupon S. Paul explained the 1 Acts xix. 2 : el rvevna Hytov ^A.aj3ere iri * Acts xix. 2 : d\\' ovS' e irvfvfj.a ayiov tcrnv r)Kov. Cornp. S. John vii. 39 : " For as yet there was no Spirit (otfuw yap i?c trvfv/jLa.'), because that Jesus was not yet glorified." Laying on of Hands no imusual thing. 25 ['elation of that rite to Christian Baptism, that it served as a penitential preparation for it, but was in no wise an equivalent. Upon receiving this in- struction, the men were at once christened. Baptism having now been conferred, the men really were in the position in which S. Paul had supposed them bo be when he asked them his first question : they were Christians, but not yet in possession of the gift af the Spirit. Then, when by their Baptism they were qualified to receive the gift, S. Paul laid hands upon them, and " the Holy Ghost came upon them." 1 This incident shows us, amongst other things, how completely the Apostles were at one on the subject of Baptism and the Laying on of Hands. In the story of the conversion of Samaria, the two most prominent leaders of the original college, acting not in their own name alone, but in that of the Twelve as a body, do precisely that which S. Paul does at Ephesus. The rite which they used, he uses, and with the same effect. But the incident shews us more than this. If S. Luke had not recorded the Christening of these disciples of S. John, we might perhaps have supposed that it was only in extraordinary cases that the Laying on of Hands was resorted to, in order to supplement a Baptism which had been in some way abnormal or defective. We might have thought (as many have done) that John's baptism sufficiently 1 Acts XIX. 6 : (to! ^irt0e'i/Tos auTj?j rov TIav\ov x pay ?)\Qev T& irvtu^a rb &yiov lit' avrovs. Here the full title of the Holy Ghost is to be observed. The turn of the expression (liri0cVros rov Uav\ov x not ray x e

KaTajSoAAo'- pevot, assuredly does not obtrude upon us, as the English " a founda- tion " does, that other foundations might possibly be preferred. That the foundation of which the writer goes on to speak had, as a matter of fact, been laid, is definitely involved in the word " again ; " there- fore " the foundation " more truly represents the thought. Nor is there anything whatever to show that the foundation in the case of these Hebrews differed from that which was usually laid ; on the contrary, the whole argument of the context depends upon the universality of such a ground-work. 3O Greatness of the Laying on of Hands or to speak more exactly, three pairs of things, or we might even say, three things, each of which consists of two parts. First comes repentance and faith, set somewhat by itself ; next, the " doctrine of Baptisms and of Laying on of Hands ; " thirdly, the doctrine " of resurrection of the dead and of eternal judg- ment." l It needs no words to shew the significance of such a collocation of thoughts. A passage of S. Paul 2 which partly resembles this, has often been taken to indicate that the Apostle was somewhat contemptuous of Baptism, and had greater tilings to think of. False as such a notion is there, it is im- possible here. The writer classes the " doctrine of Baptisms and of Laying on of Hands" with things which no evangelically minded man could treat with impatience or disrespect, even when put in comparison with other things. Repentance and faith, the doctrine of resurrection and judgment, are acknowledged on all sides to be of the most vital importance to the soul. Unless, therefore, we are prepared to reject the authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews, 3 we are 1 Heb. vi. 1,2: /? Trd\tv 6e(i.f\iov Ka.Ta.$a.\\6n.evoi utravolas OTTO vtKpwv tpyaiv KO.\ Triffreus eirl 6t6v, Pairriff/Muv 5i$ax?iv (5<5ox^s) firiOefffas re \tipwv, avacTTafftus ( fftus Tt) veKpuv Kcii Kplparos altavlou. It makes no difference for our present purpose whether we read SiSaxV or StSax^s. In the former case, it is co-ordinated with &t^\iov : in the second, it depends upon it, and is co-ordinated with neravolas and wiffTfus. The former not only has (in the judgment of Hort and Westcott) somewhat the best authority, but it preserves more clearly the logical distinction between that which a man does and that which he is taught. * 1 Cor. i. 14-16. 3 This is now sometimes the case with Christians outside the Church who feel the pressure of the argument in the text. But even if the incompatible with a transient use. 31 compelled to assign a like importance to the doctrine of Baptisms and of Laying on of Hands. This could never be the case with a tiling which was of human institution, or of transitory usefulness. Such language as that of this Epistle is quite incompatible, for instance, with the common notion that the gift be- stowed by the Imposition of Hands was primarily a gift of miraculous powers. Not only did such powers early cease to be exhibited, as a rule, but, while they lasted, they were valued by S. Paul at a much lower value than some homely moral qualities. 1 Evidently, if the doctrine of the Laying on of Hands had been primarily concerned with miraculous displays, no man of S. Paul's way of thinking could have made that doctrine a part of the fundamentals of Christian religion, along with the doctrine of eternal judgment. It is clear that the rite must be of the first order of importance, if a man must not only have received it, but must also know thoroughly what it means, on pain of being scarcely considered a Christian. 2 That Epistle be excluded from the Canon of Scripture, it would remain a historical monument of the feeling of the first century. No other writing is more largely quoted by S. Clement of Rome, whose Epistle was composed in or about A.D. 95 (Lightfoot S. Clement vol. i. p. 346 foil.). 1 Cor. xii. 31 foil. * Some have maintained that "the doctrine of Baptisms and of laying on of Hands" means the teaching given to men at the time of receiving these rites. The following clause makes such an interpre- tation impossible: the doctrine of resurrection and judgment cannot mean the teaching given at the time when men rise again to be judged ; nor can the construction in the one clause be different from the con- struction in the other. At tbe same time the use of the plural "Bap- tisms " is hard to understand. Probably Delitzsch, Westcott, and other.-', are right in supposing that it means " the doctrine of Christian Baptism as compared with other Baptisms " (us in the case of S. Paul 32 Laying on of Hands one with Baptism. this ivas S. Paul's view of the Laying on of Hands, as well as that of the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is seen from the passage in the Acts which has already been considered. The doctrine of the Laying on of Hands was to S. Paul also part of " the word of the beginning of Christ." I find, then, in these words of the great unknown teacher of the close of the apostolic period a witness to the awful dignity of the Laying on of Hands, and to its intended permanence in the Church of God after those who first administered it had passed away. But, at the same time, he puts this sacred rite in no competition with Baptism. The way in which he introduces it binds it into one with Baptism, so that all its glories are the glories of that sacrament. As repentance and faith are one and yet two, as the resurrection of the dead issues in eternal judgment, at Ephesus); otherwise it would not be impossible to see in it a reference to the individual experiences of those addressed, as if the writer had said, " the doctrine of each man's Christening." It will be noticed that " Laying on of Hands " is in the singular. There was not the same diversity of ideas to be dealt with in Ihis case as there was in the case of Baptism. Dr. Westcott, indeed, appears to throw the phrase open, so as to include all the purposes for which the gesture was employed, although he considers it " not unnatural " to limit it in this instance to Confirmation. And as a matter of fact there is a substantial unity between all Impositions of the Hand, as being all solemn invocations of the Holy Ghost for one purpose or another. But in that case it would have been more simple, in con- junction with paTCTurpuv, to have written xeipoQefi(j.a, Svvdfjifis rt fj.(\\ovros aiwvos. Our LorcFs words to Nicodemns. 35 Lord to Nicodemus, " Except a man be born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." 1 They considered the immersion in the baptismal Laver to be the birth " of water," and the superadded gift of the Spirit, by Chrism, or by Imposition of Hands, to be the birth "of Spirit." With this interpretation I do not agree. It divides the act of the new birth into two separate parts, possibly sundered by a long interval of time, in a manner which is not only difficult to imagine, but which is in no way suggested by the words themselves, for the words seem in the most marked fashion to em- phasize the oneness of the birth " of water and Spirit." 2 Besides this, such an interpretation contains what seem to me two untenable notions. It evacuates the baptismal water, when separately administered, of all spiritual grace, making it a mere outward ceremony ; and it identifies being " born of " the Spirit with the " receiving " of the Spirit. I cannot, therefore, see in the words of our Lord to Nicodemus any reference to Confirmation, except so far as "seeing the kingdom of God " is more than " entering into " it, and that whereas without Baptism we cannot so much as enter it, without the grace which is offered to us in Confirmation we cannot, even when within, see the glories of it. It seems simplest, therefore, to under- stand the being born of "water and Spirit" as re- 1 S. John iii. 5 : e| SSaros Kal wvevfjLaros. * It is unfortunate that the Authorised Version inserts a second " of," thereby suggesting the possibility of division. Perhaps it was unavoidable that the article should be inserted before " Spirit ; " but it still further divide* what in the original id undivided. 36 Saint Peters promise on ferring to the outward and inward aspects of the sacrament of the font. 1 (i.) Setting aside, therefore, that passage, I take as the first in this second group of texts the reply of S. Peter to the inquirers on the day of Pentecost: "Repent ye, and let each one of you be baptized in (fVt al. iv) the name of Jesus Christ into remission of your sins ; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost ; for to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all afar off whom the Lord our God shall call unto Him." 2 The promise spoken of is the promise of the Holy Ghost, bestowed that day for the first time, the promise made through Joel, " I will pour out My Spirit . . . and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ; . . . and it shall come to pass that whoso- ever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered ; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as the Lord hath said, and among the remnant those whom the Lord doth call." 3 That Pentecostal shower, S. Peter declares, is not intended only for those on whom it first fell, but for all, even for those who had crucified their Lord and Christ. Two steps are necessary in order to obtain the gift : first, a general repentance ; second, a Baptism 1 "Water," however, seems to suggest not merely the outward ceremony of immersion, but the inward purification of which the immersion is a symbol. .To be born of water then would be to begin a new life as set free from the defilements of the past, while to be born of the Spirit would be to begin a new life as enriched with the very nature of the parent Spirit. But these two things arc simultaneous and inseparable. Acts ii. 38, 39. * Joel ii. 28, foil. the Day of Pentecost. 3 7 of each person individually. This Baptism will involve the confession by each person of the Christship of Jesus, and the calling upon His saving name ; and it will immediately admit the baptized into the remission of his sins. Then, thus penitent and cleansed, the believer will be in a position to ask, and to receive, the gift of the Holy Ghost. While, therefore, S. Peter associates the great gift very closely with Christian Baptism so closely that he does not feel it necessary to particularise any distinct act which will convey it he yet speaks of Baptism as a condition of obtaining it rather than as the means, and while he ascribes other benefits directly to Baptism, appears to suggest that this benefit is something which comes after. No doubt, if we had only S. Peter's words before us, we might have supposed his " and ye shall receive " to express a grace of Baptism itself, as he might with perfect truth have said, " Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, and ye shall receive the forgiveness of your sins." But, when we know what was the apostolic practice, and hear S. Peter speak of other blessings in a way which implies a more imme- diate relation to Baptism, the conclusion appears to be irresistible that S. Peter looked to impart the gift of the Holy Ghost in Baptism, indeed, only not in that part of it which would convey the forgiveness of sins, but in that second part of it which we know as Confirmation. (ii.) The extraordinary and probably unique 1 case 1 Chrysostora thinks that Apollos, because he is said to have been 38 Cornelius receives the Holy Ghost of Cornelius and his associates teaches us in precisely the converse manner, that the gift of the Holy Ghost is not to be identified with the grace which first makes us Christians, and that it in no way supersedes the necessity of that grace. As, in dealing with the con- verts of Pentecost, S. Peter spoke of Holy Baptism as qualifying for the reception of the Holy Ghost, so, in dealing with Cornelius, he speaks of the reception of the Holy Ghost as qualifying for Holy Baptism. " Can any one," he asked, " forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, who (OH-WEC) have received the Holy Ghost as we ourselves did ? " x It is, indeed, difficult to understand how the Holy Ghost could be given to persons who still, if even for a few minutes, remained unpossessed of the initial blessings of life in Christ. Yet it is harder still to imagine that the Baptism which the Apostle commanded them to undergo was a mere form and used for form's sake. It is, for instance, inconceivable that at Cornelius's Bap- tism, the Imposition of Hands was used, at any rate with the usual prayer before it, seeing that the gift conveyed by it had already been vouchsafed. "fervent in spirit," or "in the Spirit," as Chrysostom probably understood the word, must therefore have received the gift before he was baptized. " Although," he says, " Apollos did not know all things, yet by his earnestness he had drawn down upon himself the Holy Ghost (eire ffu/u.a. OTflUff, . . . Kdl irdvTfS %v irvsvua. firoriffdri/Afv. given the same Spirit to drink" 43 Holy Ghost and us. In the first He is the active instrument; in the second He allows Himself to be (in a sense) the passive possession. I can hardly do better than reproduce Dr. Godet's note upon the latter phrase. After rejecting the notion that the drinking of the one Spirit is a description of the Holy Communion, he proceeds, " Or have we here again to do with Baptism ? But the more natural and suitable the image of dipping and bathing was to the form of the baptismal rite, the more foreign to it is that of drinking or slaking thirst. Besides, the 'and' indicates a new fact. If the second proposition only reaffirmed the idea of the first in another shape, we should have had the two clauses put side by side without a conjunction. The new fact of which the Apostle is thinking appears to me to be the communi- cation of the gifts of the Spirit which accompanied the Laying on of Hands given directly after Baptism. By Baptism," M. Godet adds, " the believer is plunged in the Spirit as the source of the new life ; by the act which follows, the Spirit comes into him as the principle of certain special gifts and of the personal activity which will flow from them. The believer is first dipped, bathed, to die to himself and live to God ; then he is given to drink, drenched with new powers, in order to be able to be of use to the whole entity of which he has become a member. These are the two sides of his relation to the Holy Spirit." * 1 M. Godet is not correct in Baying that 8. Chrysostom interprets the " drinking " to mean the baptismal gift. I shall shew presently that he eays much the same as M. Gock-t himself. M. Godet is not 44 The Mission of the Son and I would not be understood to adopt every word of this note. It does not, for one thing, appear sufficiently to recognise that S. Paul is still speaking of Holy Baptism when he adds, " and were all given one Spirit to drink," though he is speaking of a second act in Baptism, not of the first. But the note, all the more remarkable as penned by a member of a community in which, unless I mistake, the rite spoken of is not practised, at least brings out clearly that the text requires us to think of two distinct moments in our Christian initiation, and of a double work of the Holy Ghost upon the soul. 1 (v.) "When the fulness of the time came," says S. Paul to the Galatians, " God sent forth (t^oTrterraXtv) His Son, born of woman, born under law, that He might redeem those under law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And, because ye are sons, God sent forth (i^aTrfWctXtv) the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." 2 The repetition of the words "God sent forth" is very remarkable. quite consistent with himself, however, in saying that the believer is here said to be " plunged in the Spirit " in Baptism. He had before, and more correctly, explained the lv *v\ irvfvfj.art thus: "Le V (dans ou par un seul esprit) indique le moyen, et le tls (en un seul corps) le resultat atteint." To be baptized with (or in) the Spirit does not appear in Holy Scripture to mean the baptismal gift as contrasted with that of Confirmation. 1 Something of the same kind might possibly be seen in the sixth chapter of the Epistle (the richest of all the Epistles in the doctrine of the Spirit), where S. Paul says (verse 11), " But ye washed, but ye were hallowed, but ye were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." The " hallowing" may perhaps be a distinct act from the "justifying." But the passage does not necessitate such an exegesis, and it seems to me a little forced. Gal. iv. 4, foil. the Mission of the Spirit. 45 It marks two distinct stages in the work of drawing the world Godwards. It is no accident that S. Paul speaks of the mission of the Son, and of the mission of the Spirit of the Son, in the same terms. Not only does it, as Meyer points out, denote that the Spirit's personal relation to God is similar to that of the Son, but it also denotes that the one mission is an event of equal importance with the other. The effects of these two missions, as here described, are quite distinct, though closely combined. The mission of the Son redeems us from bondage and makes us sons. This is followed up by the mission of the Spirit of the Son, which makes us realise what our privilege of sonship is. Often as the two things are confounded, they are by no means the same. Bengel well says, " We received first adoption, and then the Spirit of adoption ; " and again, " The position of sonship is followed by the indwelling of the Spirit, and not the reverse." It will be seen hereafter into what difficulties some of the Fathers fell by not observing this order which is so clearly marked in Scripture. It may perhaps be true that the Apostle is not here directly delimiting the two parts of the sacrament of Baptism. I think it most probable that when he says, "God sent forth the Spirit of His Son," he has in mind the one great permanent act of mission which bears the date of Pentecost. It stands in better parallel to the mission of the Son than the special moments at which the gift was imparted to this and that believer. Perhaps that is the explanation of the sudden and curious change obliterated by the Vulgate and the 46 Adoption and the Spirit of Adoption. English Version from " ye are sons " to " our hearts." The sequence is not logical ; S. Paul, and those whom he means by "we," had not received the Spirit in consequence of the adoption of the Galatians to be sons ; but, on the other hand, the Galatians did not personally receive Him on the day of His first out- pouring, and therefore S. Paul instinctively substitutes the pronoun which represents the Church at large. But, although in the two main verbs he refers to the historic Incarnation and to the historic advent of , the Spirit, he no less truly applies these two facts to the individual life when he speaks of our " receiving the adoption," and of the Spirit as coming " into our hearts." By the help of the other passages which we have considered, it does not appear to be rash to state that the former of these two blessings is conveyed to us by the sacramental Water, the latter by the sacramental Laying on of Hands. The two parts of Baptism are related to each other as the Incarnation (and Atonement) to the Pentecostal outpouring. By his choice of a title for the Holy Spirit, " the Spirit of His Son," following upon the parallel mention of the sending of the Son, S. Paul emphasizes the unity of the whole work, and makes it plain that the second movement of God towards man is not independent of the first, but the completion and crown of it ; but he shews no less unmistakeably that we shall do well to keep the two benefits unconfused in our minds. (vi.) The last of this class of passages which I shall examine is the famous passage in the Epistle to Titus. " Regeneration and Renewal of the Spirit." 47 " But when the kindness and affection for man of our Saviour God appeared, not of works those works done in righteousness, by ourselves but according to His own mercy, He saved us through a laver of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, in order that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs, according to hope, of eternal life." * Many interesting questions might be discussed with regard to various points in these verses, but only one or two are of much importance for our immediate purpose. It is not certain whether S. Paul intended to make the word " renewal " co-ordinate with "laver," and dependent upon the preposition " through ; " or whether he intended it to be co- ordinate with " regeneration " and dependent upon " laver." Did he mean that God saved us " through the laver of regeneration and through the renewal of the Holy Spirit," or that He saved us " through a laver which was a laver of regeneration and of re- newal of the Holy Spirit ? " I think that he meant the latter. The two abstract words " regeneration " and " renewal " pair better together than " renewal " would with the concrete " laver " ; and the subordinate genitives would not match one another if we made " renewal " and " laver " parallel, for the " laver of regeneration " is a laver which confers regeneration, but the " renewal of the Spirit " is a renewal which the Spirit confers^ Besides which, the symmetry of the two parallel clauses, supposing " renewal " to depend 1 Tit. iii. 4, foil. 48 The " Laver" includes Confirmation. directly upon the preposition and alongside of " laver," would be still further marred by the appending of the relative clause "which He poured out on us richly." It appears, then, that S. Paul gives a double description of the baptismal water. It is a " laver of regeneration and of renewal by the Holy Ghost, which God pours out upon us richly." At first sight it may look as if the Apostle denoted one and the same benefit of Holy Baptism by two different words, and as if " regeneration " and " renovation " were synonyms. And, indeed, some passages come very near to saying so. When S. Paul, for example, says to the Corinthians, " If any man be in Christ, it is a new crea- tion," the process might justly be spoken of under the title of " renovation." 1 But on the other hand, a com- parison with S. Matt. xix. 28 will show that that creating anew still more exactly answers to the thought of a TraXivytvtaia a new birth; while S. Paul's usage of the term " renewal " compels us in the passage before us, to adopt a quite different interpretation. " Be ye transformed by the renewal of your mind." 2 " Though our outward man decays, our inward man is renewed day by day." 3 "Ye put on," in Baptism, "the new man (rbv vtov) which is being renewed (rov avaKaivov/uifvov) unto knowledge, after the image of his Creator." 4 In all these passages " renewal " is not, like regenera- tion, a single act, which begins a new life, but it is the constant process by which the regenerate creature is gradually assimilated to the ideal for which he was 1 2 Cor. v. 17. * Rom. xii. 2. * 2 Cor. iv. 16. 4 Col. iii. 10. General conclusion from the foregoing. 49 made. So, in the Christmas collect, we pray that " being (as we are) regenerate, we may daily be re- newed by the Holy Spirit." The two things, then, are not synonymous. And the second of them is said to be the result of the plentiful outpouring upon us of the Holy Ghost. While regeneration set up a new life within us, disencumbered of past guilt, and wholly reconstituting both our inward nature and our relation to all that surrounds us, the gift of the Holy Ghost began a lifelong transformation of character, which is still carried on by the same gracious energy. But, if I am right in my view of the connexion of the words, both these benefits have their origin at the baptismal laver. Though, from the comparison of other passages, we may feel certain that S. Paul would have traced that " pouring out " the word is Joel's and S. Peter's to the Laying on of Hands and not to the actual immersion in the water, yet the Laying on of Hands is so integral a part of the sacrament of Baptism that he speaks of the whole as a Laver which is characterized by the double benefit. To sum up the general result of the study of these portions of Holy Scripture, it will be safe to affirm that Christian Baptism is constantly spoken of as the means of conferring upon us two different, though closely connected, benefits two different modes of the operation of the Holy Ghost. We find, moreover, that in apostolic days Baptism consisted of two dis- tinct sacramental acts, naturally symbolizing two distinct ideas, which acts are yet so closely associated that the name of the first includes by implication the E 5O Passages alluding to Baptism. second. Furthermore, the two spiritual benefits correspond to the two sacramental acts, each to each. While no instance can be alleged in which the Holy Ghost is said to be given or received in Baptism by itself, the gift is expressly said to be given and received in the Laying on of the Hands. No words therefore can better describe the relation of Confirma- tion to Baptism, as expressed in Scripture, than those which are inscribed on the title-page of this work, and are taken as its thesis : " The Holy Ghost is given in Baptism by the Laying on of Hands." It would seem natural, therefore, in looking at those words of Holy Scripture which do not explicitly name either sacramental act, but which point to a moment, not specified, when one or other of these spiritual gifts was conferred, to distribute the two gifts to the two acts respectively. Thus, when we read such words as these: "Such were some of you; but ye were washed, ye were hallowed, ye were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the Spirit t>f our God " : x " Ye died ; and your life is hid with Christ in God " : 2 " If any man be in Christ, it is a new creation ; the ancient things passed away ; behold, they are become new " : 8 " Neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation " : 4 " Having forgotten the cleansing of his old sins " : 5 and many others ; we shall naturally think of the moment when the baptismal water was applied, and the soul passed from the world into Christ. On the other hand, the > 1 Cor. vi. 11. Col. iii. 3. * 2 Cor. v. 17. Gal. vi. 15. s 2 Pet. i. 9. Passages alluding to Confirmation. 51 second of the baptismal acts will be suggested to us, when we read such as the following : " The love of God hath been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Ghost which was given to us " : x " For ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye received a Spirit of adoption, in which we cry, Abba, Father " : 2 " We did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, in order that we might know the things which were bestowed upon us by God " : 8 " Now He that doth establish us with you into Christ and did anoint us is God, who also sealed us for His own and gave the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts " : 4 " Only this would I learn of you, Was it of works of law that ye received the Spirit, or of the hearing of faith ? . . . He that supplieth to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you, doeth He it of works of law, or of the hearing of faith ? " 5 " In whom also, on becom- ing believers, ye were sealed with the Spirit the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance " : 6 " To every one of us was given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ " : 7 " Grieve not the Spirit the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed unto the day of redemption " : 8 " The Spirit which He made to dwell in us longeth even unto envy " : 9 " According as every man received this or that gift, minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of 1 Rom. v. 5. s Rom. viii. 15. 1 Cor. ii. 12. * 2 Cor. i. 22. Gal. iii. 2, 15. Eph. i. 13, 14. 7 Eph. iv. 7. Eph. iv. 30. S. James iv. 5. 52 Passages alluding to Confirmation. God " : * " And as for you, the unction which ye received from Him abideth in you " : * " And in this we know that He abideth in us, from the Spirit which He gave us." 8 1 1 S. Pet. iv. 10. * 1 S. John ii. 27. 1 S. John iii. 24. SECTION II. PATRISTIC TESTIMONY. CHAPTER I. THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS. WE leave now the New Testament Scriptures, and enter upon the subsequent history of the doctrine of Confirmation. A considerable length of time elapses after the close of the canon in which little or nothing of impor- tance is to be found upon the subject. Among the scanty remains of the Christian literature of the first century and a half there is hardly anything which bears on the doctrine of Confirmation. The Apostolic Fathers do not speak of it. Of Baptism itself they say but little; and though it may be assumed that Baptism, for them, included Confirmation, as a matter of course, there is no attempt on their part to analyse the constituent elements of the sacrament. So far as I know, there is but one thing which even superficially looks like an exception to this silence. The ancient homily known as the Second 54 " The Seal " in the Apostolic Fathers. Epistle of S. Clement, which Bishop Lightf'oot would date between A.D. 120 and 140, 1 speaks of " keeping the seal," and of " keeping the flesh pure and the seal unstained ; " but as it speaks also in an earlier passage of "keeping our Baptism pure and un- defiled," 2 we are led to identify the seal with Baptism. And lest we should insist upon making out that Baptism is so called by right of the second part of it and not by right of the first, the language of the somewhat earlier Hermas appears distinctly to connect the term with the baptismal washing itself ; " That seal is the water, into which men go down under the doom of death, but come up appointed to life." 8 Later usage also sometimes applies the title of the Seal to the act of christening, instead of limit- ing it to that of confirming. 4 It is, perhaps, somewhat surprising that no mention is made of either Unction or Imposition of Hands in that passage of the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles where directions are given for the form of Baptism. The passage runs thus : "Now concerning Baptism, baptize thus. Having given all the aforementioned instruction, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, in running water. But if thou hast not running water, baptize into other water ; and if thou 1 8. Clement of Borne vol. ii. p. 201 foil. 8 7, 8 ; comp. 6. Sim. ix. 16. 4 The epitaph of S. Abercius, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor early in the second century, ako speaks of the " splendid seal " borne by the Christians whom he found at Rome ; but the words are not further explained (Lightfoot Ignatius vol. i. pp. 480-482). Teaching of the XII. Apostles " on Baptism. 5 5 canst not in cold, then in warm. If thou hast neither [in sufficient quantity], pour out water thrice upon the head, into the name of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost. Before the Baptism let the baptizer and baptized fast, and any others who can ; but thou sluilt command the baptized to fast for a day or two beforehand." * It is, however, fairly clear, in the first place, that this little manual does not profess to give an exhaus- tive account of the ceremonies to be observed. Cer- tainly this is so with regard to the Holy Communion, and it may well be so with Baptism. And besides, the person or persons addressed in it are the laity, or the lower ranks of the clergy, to whom the Impo- sition of Hands did not pertain. In the case of the Eucharist, after giving a form of thanksgiving to be used by the ordinary celebrant, it adds, " But the prophets ye shall permit to give thanks at what length they will." 2 So, when the "prophet" was present at a Baptism, he would no doubt use the Laying on of Hands, although the Teaching does not prescribe for it. It will be observed at the same time that the Teaching has nothing to say about the grace or significance of Baptism, so that we cannot gather from it whether the gift of the Holy Spirit was expected in such a Baptism as it has in view or not. 3 1 7. f 10. * It may be added that the account in 8. Justin Martyr, which has striking resemblances to the Teaching of the Twelve, has no mention of Confirmation, although it speaks of bringing the newly baptized from the place of Baptism to the assembly of the brethren and its president, to be prayed for (ApoJ. I. 61, 65). Of this hereafter. 56 Barnabas on the Gift of the Spirit. There are two passages in the Epistle of Barnabas which seem to connect the indwelling of the Spirit with Holy Baptism. The first follows upon a quota- tion of the first Psalm, where it speaks of the " tree planted by the water-side " : " Observe how he united the water and the cross. What he means is this : ' Blessed are they that have hoped in the cross, and so have gone down into the water.' . . . And again another prophet says, 'And the land of Jacob was lauded above all the earth.' His meaning is this ; he glorifieth the vessel of His Spirit." 1 In the second passage he says : "I find .then that there is a Temple. How it shall be built, therefore, upon the name of the Lord, learn ye. Before we became believers in God (inaTtvaai T$ Of-y) the dwelling-place of our hearts was corruptible and weak, a 'temple made with hands,' in truth; because it was full of idolatry, and it was a house of devils (Sat/zoviwv), through doing all the things which are contrary to God. ' But it shall be built upon the name of the Lord.' Take heed, that the Temple of the Lord may be gloriously built. How ? Learn ye. Having received the remission of sins, and having hoped upon the name of the Lord, we were made new, created all over again. Wherefore in this dwelling-place of ours God truly dwelleth in us. How? His word of faith, His calling of promise, 1 11. It is, however, supposed by some, as by Kendall ad loo., that in these last words the author refers to the crucified body of Christ, not to the bodies of the baptized. Loss of Melitos work on Baptism. 57 the wisdom of the ordinances, the commandments of the doctrine, Himself prophesying in us, Himself dwelling in us, opening to us that had been enslaved to death the door of the Temple, which is the mouth, giving us repentance, He leadeth into the imperish- able Temple." * But besides the indication that to receive the Divine indwelling was one of the first privileges of a convert to the faith, these words throw no light upon the question before us. In the absence of evi- dence to the contrary, we should suppose that the ordinary mode of receiving the indwelling would be that which was employed by the Apostles. These few words are all, so far as I know, that can be gleaned from the first century or century and a half after Christ for our present purpose. If the work of Melito, Bishop of Sardis about the middle of the second century, " On Baptism," 2 had been pre- served, we should, no doubt, have had ample evidence of the belief of the Asiatic churches within some fifty years of the death of S. John. As it is, we have to wait for the second century to close before we can gain clear and explicit guidance. It then bursts upon us with welcome distinctness in the pages of Tertullian. In my examination of the patristic teaching about Confirmation, I shall endeavour roughly to group the authors cited, not according to a merely chronological 1 16. The date of this epistle is probably about the end of the Grst century. 1 Enaeb. Hist. Ecol. IV. xxvi. 2. 58 Division of the subject. order, but according to the churches to which they belonged. I shall not attempt the materials would hardly allow of it to carry this classification very far ; but I shall divide the authors with whom I have to deal into four groups, (1) African, (2) Western, (3) Alexandrian, and (4) Eastern. CHAPTER II. THE AFRICAN CHURCH. IT will be conducive to clearness of effect if we take by itself, and first in order, the baptismal doctrine of the Church of Africa. Its independent position preserved in it a distinctive type of tradition, more self-consistent and free from foreign innovations than that of any other Western Church even than that of Milan. Throughout its stormy history it was engaged in debates which bore upon the subject before us. And it has, besides, the honour of having given birth to the earliest treatise now extant, de- voted specially to the sacrament of Baptism. The treatise of Tertullian De Baptismo was written after he had become a priest, and before he left the communion of the Church probably, there- fore, in the year 198. It was called forth by the false teaching of a Gnostic prophetess, who took offence at the simplicity of the Gospel sacraments. Tertullian describes in order the baptismal ceremonies of his time and country. The baptismal immersion was followed by Unction, and the Unction by Laying on of Hands. All these were to him parts of Baptism; but the two latter were to him by no 60 The Spirit not obtained in the waters means only ceremonial and figurative accompani- ments of the former. After a comparison between the pool of Bethesda which, when troubled by the angel, restored the diseases of the body, and the Baptism which heals the soul, Tertullian proceeds " Thus man will be restored to God after His like- ness, who once had been after God's image. The image belongs to the temporal presentment, the like- ness to the eternal reality (imago in effigie, simi- litudo in aeternitate censetur). For the man recovers (recipit) that Spirit of God, Whom at the creation he had received by the breathing of God upon him, but had afterwards lost through sin. " Not that we obtain the Holy Spirit in the bap- tismal waters ; but having been cleansed in the water under the ministry of the angel, we are there pre- pared for the Holy Spirit. Here again we have the guidance of a figure given beforehand : for John, in the same manner, was forerunner to the Lord, pre- paring His ways. So, also, the angel which presides over Baptism (baptismi arbiter) directs the ways for the Holy Spirit Who comes after, by the washing away of sins, which is accorded to faith when faith is sealed in the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. . . . "Then, on stepping forth from the font, we are anointed (perungimur) with consecrated oil, a custom derived from the Old Testament dispensation (de pristina disciplina), in which men used to be anointed priests with oil out of a horn, since the but by the Imposition of the Hand. 6 1 time when Aaron was anointed by Moses; from which he is called a ' christ,' l from the ' chrism/ that is, the unction employed. And this unction gave His name to our Lord, being spiritually performed ; because He was anointed with the Spirit by God the Father. . . . Thus in our case also, though the unction takes place in the flesh, the benefit is a spiritual benefit ; just as, in the actual Baptism, the immersion in the water is a carnal transaction, but has a spiritual effect, in our deliverance from our sins. "After that, the hand is laid upon us, in bene- diction invoking and inviting the Holy Ghost (dehinc manus imponitur, per benedictionem ad- uocans et inuitans Spiritum sanctum). If human skill can bring wind (spiritum) into water, and then by application of hands from above can make the conjunction of those elements breathe out another wind (spiritu) which produces a loud music, shall we say that God is unable, in His own organ (i.e. man), by means of holy hands, to awake strains of spiritual sublimity ? This rite also comes from the Old Testament dispensation. . . . Then (tune) that most Holy Spirit comes down willingly from the Father upon the bodies which have been cleansed and blessed ; He broods over the waters of Baptism as if recognising there His ancient throne. 2 ... As, after the waters of the Flood, by which the primaeval iniquity was purged after the baptism, so to speak, of the world the herald dove was let go from the 1 Lev. iv. 5, 6 itptvs 6 xpurr6t. * Gen. i. 2. 62 The gift of the Spirit follows Baptism. ark to announce to the earth that the anger of heaven was appeased, and returned with the olive leaf, which even among the Gentiles is held forth as a sign of peace, so the spiritual effect follows the same order. When the earth, which is our flesh emerges from being washed after its old sins, the dove of the Holy Spirit flies to it, bearing the peace of God, sent forth from heaven, where is the Church prefigured by the ark." * Twice besides Tertullian refers to the same varied benefits of Baptism. In his book De Praescriptione Haereticorum, enumerating the glories of the Church which he was soon to leave, he cries " Thence (viz. from the Holy Scriptures) she quaffs her faith ; she seals it with the water, she clothes it with the Holy Spirit, she feeds it with the Eucharist, she exhorts it to endure even martyrdom itself, and she does not receive any in opposition to this doc- trine." 2 And in another writing, composed after he became a Montanist, he uses the sacraments as an argument that it is only through the body that the soul can be taken into fellowship with God : " The flesh is washed, that the soul may be rid of its stains ; the flesh is anointed, that the soul may be consecrated ; the flesh is sealed (signed with the cross), that the soul also may be protected ; the flesh is over- shadowed by the Imposition of the Hand, that the soul also may be illuminated by the Spirit ; the flesh 1 De Baptismo, 5, foil. De Praeea: Haer. 36. Summary of Tertulliaris doctrine. 63 is fed with the Body and Blood of Christ, that the soul also may be made fat from God." l Tertullian's belief with regard to Baptism and Confirmation is remarkably clear. He regards Bap- tism itself as conveying the forgiveness of sins most likely, though he does not say so, regeneration but distinctly not the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift he unmistakeably associates with the Imposition of Hands. What exact sacramental value he attached to the intermediate Unction is not quite so apparent. It had the effect of consecrating the baptized, and of admitting them to a share in our Lord's priesthood ; but it was not, in his eyes, the vehicle of the gift of the Spirit. Probably he would have been at a loss to say whether it was one of the ceremonies of Baptism or one of the ceremonies of Confirmation.* The whole complex rite was, in his estimation, but one throughout, although each part had a distinctive ' De Returr. Cam. 8. Probably, to judge from the position which it occupies, the signatio here spoken of is the signing of the cross upon the forehead (with or without chrism) at the time of the Laying on of Hands. But perhaps Tertullian means to include also the ordinary use of the sign of the cross. Tertullian's word perungi- nmr, in the passage above cited from the De Baptumo, which is not a mere synonym of ungimur, shows that that Unction (the only one he names) was not upon the forehead only. It seems to imply a copious anointing on the head, or possibly an anointing " all over," in various parts, such as was customary elsewhere. * It is asserted, e.g. by Scudamore in Smith's Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, s.v. " Unction," that the unction spoken of by Tertullian is a baptismal unction, entirely different from that used at a later time in Confirmation. There is nothing in his text to support this theory. The later Unction was a special application of the same chrism in the moment of the Laying on of Hands, not something essentially different. 64 Cyprian teaches that the Holy benefit of its own to supply. The gift of the Holy Ghost was given by the Laying on of Hands; but the Laying on of Hands was itself an integral part of Baptism; so that Tertullian could say that in the sacrament of Baptism man recovers the Spirit Which he had forfeited by sin, though not " in the waters." He shews no sign of even knowing that the parts of the sacrament could be administered at separate times. It is well known that Tertullian's influence con- tinued to be powerfully felt in the African Church in spite of his secession from it. S. Cyprian was in the habit of calling him his " master." In no part of his teaching did he more closely follow Tertullian, for evil as well as for good, than in his doctrine of Baptism except that he did not share an objection which Tertullian felt to the baptism of infants. That the Holy Ghost is given in that sacrament is plainly and frequently stated by S. Cyprian. In one of his letters he shows the error of some who had taken to using water instead of wine in the celebration of the Eucharist. Water, he affirms, is constantly, in mystical language, to be interpreted of Baptism. In support of this position he cites the words of our Lord in S. John vii. 37, foil., and con- tinues "And to make it more abundantly clear that the Lord is not there speaking of the chalice, but of Baptism, the Scripture proceeds to say, ' This spake He concerning the Spirit Which they that believed on Him were to receive.' Now it is by means of Baptism (per baptismum) that the Holy Spirit is Spirit is fully given in "Baptism." 65 received; and so, after being baptized and after re- ceiving the Holy Spirit, men go on to drink of the Lord's chalice." x He says that evil spirits, like serpents that dread the water, are unable "to remain any longer in a man's body in which, being baptized and sanctified, the Holy Ghost begins to dwell." 2 He will not admit that the gift of the Holy Ghost is a variable quantity, of which a person could have more or less. Either he has all or none. An infant's baptism conveys equal benefit with that of an adult. " The actual grace which is given to the baptized, is not vouchsafed in greater or less volume in propor- tion to the age of those who receive it. The Holy Ghost is not bestowed by measure, but by the fatherly love and graciousness of God, and is the same for all." 3 Baptism is as full and efficacious when ministered to a man on a sick-bed, as when ministered in open church. " If it is supposed that they have obtained nothing at all, on account of having been only sprinkled with the saving water (i.e. instead of being immersed in it), 1 Epist. Ixiii. 8. * Epist. Ixix. 15. Baptizare et sanctificare is a very favourite expression of S. Cyprian's ; see Epist. Ixiv. 2 ; Ixix. 1, 3, 8 ; Ixxiii. 18. Comp. Epist. Ixix. 2, uiuificari et sanctificari; ib. 10, iustificare et sanctificare; Ixxi. I, abluendi et purificandi et ganctificandi ; Ixxiii, 1, alluendi et sanctificandi. It looks rather as if the sanctificatio pointed to a second act in Baptism perhaps that of Unction, or possibly of signing with the cross (see below, p. 29) -distinct from the first, which gives cleansing and life. Eput. Ixiv. 3. F 66 The Rebaptism controversy brings out the if they are empty-handed and destitute of any advantage, then let them not be deceived; if they survive the sickness under which they laboured and get well again, let them be baptized. But if they cannot be baptized, who have already been sanctified by the Church's Baptism, why are they to have stumbling-blocks set before them in the matter of their faith and of God's graciousness ? Or have they obtained indeed the grace of the Lord, but in a scantier and smaller measure of the Divine gift and of the Holy Ghost, so that they are to be considered Christians indeed, but not put on an equality with the rest ? Nay, nay ; the Holy Ghost is not given by measure, but is poured out upon the believer in His personal fulness (sed super credentem totus infundi- tur)." 1 But it must not be supposed from this that S. Cyprian would have disagreed with Tertullian's statement that the Holy Ghost is not given in the cleansing waters. The two parts of the baptismal sacrament were indissolubly bound together in his mind. Each was necessary to the other. Regenera- tion itself was not or not completely effected unless both acts were performed. The infants of whom he speaks were confirmed as soon as christened ; the sick, as soon as they recovered. In the great controversy with regard to the rebaptizing of men who had received Baptism from heretics or schismatics, S. Cyprian had the distinctive meaning of the two acts forced upon him. It had been the custom of the African 1 Epist. Ixix. 13, 14. value of component parts of Baptism. 67 Church at any rate since the time of Agrippinus, and perhaps from a still earlier time to treat such baptisms as absolutely null and void ; but at Rome a compromise had been arrived at, and while the actual christening was accepted as valid, the convert \vas required to receive the Imposition of Hands. * This Imposition of Hands was understood by the Roman party to be of the same character as the Imposition of Hands in absolution a removal of the guilt of schism, and of all its attendant disabilities. But it appears never to have been quite clear in the Roman, or any other Church, in ancient days, that there was any essential difference between these two kinds of Imposition of Hands. 1 The Imposition in penance was looked upon as restoring to the penitent a lost gift. It was, in fact, a kind of repetition of Confirmation. This, then, was the way in which it was commonly supposed to be employed in the recep- tion of heretics. It is possible that Stephen and Cyprian were technically at cross-purposes when they contended about the unreasonableness of recognising heretical Baptism and yet laying hands again upon the convert. Yet Cyprian's very mistake if such it was about the exact intention of this laying on of hands served to bring out what he himself understood to be the relation between Baptism and Confirmation. Like Tertullian, S. Cyprian speaks of an unction of the baptized, with consecrated oil ; although, like Tertullian, he leaves somewhat vague and undefined the specific nature of the benefit. 1 See below, p. 179. 68 Cyprian on the baptismal Unction, " The man who has been baptized needs also to be anointed, in order that receiving the Chrism, that is, the Unction, he may be one of God's anointed ones, and have within himself the grace of the Christ. And the oil, moreover, wherewith the baptized are anointed, is consecrated upon the altar by the Eucharist. But the creature of oil could not have been consecrated by one who had neither altar nor church. So neither can there be any spiritual unction among heretics, since it is proved to be impossible for any consecration of the oil or any celebration of the Eucharist to take place among them." 1 Cyprian does not elsewhere mention the Anointing, which was evidently in his view a subordinate rite ; but his language about the Imposition of Hands is as frequent as it is emphatic. "Let the patrons of heretics and schismatics inform us," he cries, " whether they have the Spirit, or whether they have not. If they have, why are those who have been baptized amongst them to sub- mit, on coming over to us, to the Imposition of the Hand for the receiving of the Spirit (manus imponitur ad accipiendum Spiritum), when they must have received Him already; for where He was, there He could be given ? If, on the other hand, those without, heretics and schismatics alike, are unable to give the Holy Spirit, and on that account the Imposition of the Hand is used among us, that here they may receive, what neither exists nor can be given there, it is manifest that neither can remission of sins be 1 Epist. Ixx. 2. " Both Sacraments " needed for Regeneration. 69 given by means of those who are acknowledged not to have the Holy Ghost." 1 Again " If a man could be baptized outside the Church, in the profession of a distorted faith, and obtain the remission of his sins, he could, in the profession of the same faith, have obtained also the Holy Ghost, and there is no necessity for him, on coming over, to submit to the Imposition of the Hand in order to obtain the Holy Ghost and be sealed. Either his faith could have obtained both gifts outside the Church ; or else, while outside, he received neither of them." 2 He thinks well to inform Stephen that it has been determined by the African bishops in council " That those who have been immersed outside the Church, and stained with the defilement of a profane washing among heretics and schismatics, ought, when they come over to us, and to that Church which is one, to be baptized ; and that it is not enough that the hand should be laid on them for the receiving of the Holy Ghost, without receiving also the Church's Baptism. For it is impossible for them to be fully consecrated and to be the sons of God until they are born of either sacrament (tune enim demum plene sancti- ficari et esse filii Dei possunt, si sacramento utroque nascantur) ; since it is written, ' Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' " 3 He proceeds to allege the cape of Cornelius and 1 Epint. Ixix. 11. * Epist. Ixxiii. 6. Epist. Ixxii. 1. ;o " All the sacraments " of Baptism requisite. his associates, whom S. Peter ordered to be baptized although they were already full of the Holy Ghost. In almost identical words he writes to Jubaian : " Those who come over from heresy to the Church ought to be baptized, so that in being prepared for the kingdom of God by a Divine regeneration, in the lawful, true, and only Baptism of the Holy Church, they may be born of either sacrament." * Similarly he speaks elsewhere of the duty of "giving to those who come over from error and falsehood to acknowledge the true faith of the one Church, by means of all the sacraments of the Divine grace, the true unity and the true faith." 2 Some of the opposing party were rash enough to refer in support of their custom to the action of the Apostles at Samaria. They had not, it was said, re- quired the rebaptism of those whom they found there, but had only laid hands on them. It was easy for Cyprian to point out how different was the case of the heretics in question, from that of men baptized in the true faith, into the one Church, by a deacon whom the Apostles themselves had sent. " And therefore, because they had obtained the lawful Baptism of the Church, it would not have been right to baptize them again. Only what was still lacking was performed by Peter and John with prayer for them and Imposition of the Hand, to invoke and pour out upon them the Holy Ghost. And this is still our usage, that those who are baptized in the Church should be presented to the prelates of 1 Epist. Ixxiii. 21. * Epist. Ixx. 3. What Baptism alone is and is not. 7 1 the Church, and by means of our prayer and the Lay- ing on of our Hand should obtain the Holy Ghost and be perfected with the seal of the Lord (signaculo dominico consummentur)." J The benefits of Baptism, as distinct from Confir- mation, are thus enumerated by S. Cyprian : "From it is dated the beginning of all faith, and the saving entrance into the hope of eternal life, and the Divine good pleasure to purify and to quicken the servants of God. If a man can be baptized among heretics, he can assuredly receive the remission of sins ; if he receives the remission of sins, he is conse- crated ; if he is consecrated, he is made a temple of God." 2 To be made a temple of God, however, is not necessarily to receive His indwelling, as the next extract shews. S. Cyprian's clearest account of the relation between Baptism and Confirmation is to be found in the Epistle to Pompeius. " If they attribute the effect of Baptism," he there says, " to the majesty of the name, so that those who are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, anywhere and anyhow, are to be considered renewed and con- secrated, why does not the baptized, in the name of the same Christ, receive the Imposition of the Hand also there, to the receiving of the Holy Ghost ? Why does not the same majesty of the same name avail in the Imposition of the Hand which, as they con- tend, availed in the baptismal consecration ? For if a man born outside the Church can be made a temple 1 Epitt. Ixxiii. 9. Epitt. Ixxiii. 12. 72 Baptism useless without the Spirit. of God, why should not the Holy Ghost also be poured out upon the temple ? For one who, getting rid of his sins in Baptism, has been consecrated, and spiritually fashioned afresh into a new man, is thereby made fit to receive the Holy Ghost (qui enim peccatis in baptismo expositis sanctificatus est et in nouum hominem spiritaliter reformatus, ad accipiendum Spiritum sanctum idoneits factus est). For the Apostle says, 'As many of you as were baptized in Christ, did put on Christ.' If a man baptized among heretics can put on Christ, much more can he receive the Holy Ghost Whom Christ sent. Otherwise, it makes Him that is sent greater than Him Which sent Him, to say that a man bap- tized without can put on Christ, and so make a beginning, but cannot proceed to attaining the Holy Ghost ; as if either Christ could be put on without the Spirit, or the Spirit separated from Christ. It is another piece of foolishness, when the second birth, whereby we are born again in Christ through the Laver of Regeneration, is a spiritual birth, to say that a man can be spiritually born among heretics, among whom they deny that the Spirit is. For the water alone cannot wash away sins and consecrate a man, but only when accompanied by the Holy Spirit. So either they must allow that the Spirit is there, where they say that Baptism is, or there is no Baptism where the Spirit is not, for there can be no Baptism without the Spirit. "But what are we to think of the assertion that those can be sons of God who are not born in the Confirmation does not give the New Birth. 73 Church ? For that it is in Baptism that the old man dies and the new man is born, is declared and proved by the blessed Apostle who says, ' He saved us by the Laver of Regeneration.' But if regeneration takes place in the laver, that is, in Baptism, how can sons of God be generated through Christ by heresy, which is not the spouse of Christ ? . . . " Moreover, a man is not born again through the Imposition of the Hand, when he receives the Holy Spirit, but in Baptism, so as to be born first and re- ceive the Spirit after (non per manus impositionem quis nascitur quandv accipit Spiritum sanctum, sed in baptismo, ut Spiritum iam natus accipiaf), as was the case with the first man Adam. God formed him first, and then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. For the Spirit cannot be received without the man first being in existence to receive Him (nee enim potest accipi Spiritus, nisi prius fuerit qui accipiat)." l Here we have the converse truth to that which Tertullian had so perspicuously stated. "Not that we obtain the Holy Spirit in the waters," so wrote Tertullian, " but having been cleansed in the water, we are prepared for the Holy Spirit." Cyprian matches this dictum with another : " A man is not born again through the Imposition of the Hand, when he receives the Holy Spirit, but in Baptism." There is one point, however, in his baptismal doctrine which S. Cyprian appears not to have quite thought out. In some passages, as we have seen, 1 Epist ixxiv. 5, foil 74 Meaning of Regeneration in Cyprian. he speaks of regeneration as taking place " in the laver," as distinct from the Imposition of Hands In others, he dates it from the two parts of Baptism combined : men must be " born of either sacrament," if they would be sons of God. In all probability S. Cyprian would have explained himself to mean that the regeneration conveyed by the laver was the new birth of justification, by which a man is released from his guilty past and enters upon a new career, being " born again," indeed, but only " of water;" and that in order to receive the "birth of the Spirit," which completes his regeneration, he must await the Imposition of Hands. But perhaps the discrepancy between his expressions may be accounted for without going so deep. It may be doubted whether Cyprian would have used the ex- pression if he had been arguing against men who (as the Novatianists are said to have done) insisted upon Baptism but not upon Confirmation. It came more readily to his pen when he had to deal with men who conferred (as he supposed) the gift of the Spirit on persons who had never received the earlier degrees of grace. It was his point that Confirmation alone did not confer regeneration. He would perhaps have hesitated to say the same of Baptism alone. Still, his language, if taken literally, no doubt implies that the receiving of the Spirit in Confirmation is the same thing as the being born of the Spirit, which must be joined to the birth of water in order to constitute a son of God. It certainly seems to be implied again in the His account of his own Experience. 75 famous sentences in which he describes his own per- sonal experience of regeneration. There had been a time, he tells his friend Donatus, when he thought it impossible " for a man to be born anew, and, being quickened into a new life by the washing of the water of salvation, to put away what once he had been, and, without dissolving the bodily organism, to change the whole man in soul and mind." " But when, by the help of the life-giving wave, the stains of former time had been wiped away, and into my reconciled and clean breast the light from above poured in, when I drank in the Spirit from heaven, and was restored into a new man by a second birth, immediately, in a wonderful manner, things which I had doubted received new attestation ; what had been closed to me stood open ; darkness became lucid ; ease was discovered in what had before appeared difficult ; things could be done which I used to think impos- sible ; so that I was bound to acknowledge that that which, being born of the flesh, lived before under the power of sin, had been earthly, and that now had begun somewhat of God, which was animated by the Holy Spirit." l Unquestionably, S. Cyprian's Baptism must have been accompanied by the Unction and the Imposition of Hands. As unquestionably, the "drinking in of the Spirit," which he here speaks of, would, according to S. Cyprian's own usage, be referred to the last of the three baptismal acts. Yet the whole of the benefits experienced are gathered up in the word Regenera- 1 Ad Donat. 3, 4. 76 Bishops at the Council of Carthage. tion; which, therefore, included, in S. Cyprian's estimation, the gift of the Holy Ghost conferred by the Laying on of Hands. The bishops at the Carthaginian Council which closed the Cyprianic phase of the question of rebaptism were too much under Cyprian's influence to be treated as independent witnesses ; but Cyprian's language on the subject was repeated there by Nemesianus of Thubunas : " Our Lord Christ spoke with His own Divine voice, saying, ' Except a man be born again (renatus fiierit) of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' This is the Spirit Which moved in the beginning over the water. For neither can the Spirit work separately without the water, nor the water without the Spirit. It is, therefore, a wrong interpretation which some give, who say that they ought to receive the Holy Ghost by the Imposi- tion of the Hand and so be admitted into the Church, when it is manifest that they ought to be born again by either sacrament (utroque sacramento renasci) in the Catholic Church." * Two other expressions used at the same Council are worthy of notice. Secundinus of Carpos said that " upon strange children and the progeny of Antichrist it was impossible for the Holy Ghost to descend through the Imposition of the Hand alone, it being clear that heretics have no Baptism." 2 Vincentius 1 Ap. Cypr. Sentent. Episc. 5. 2 Ibid. 24. Most of the manuscripts (followed by Hartel) insert a new before the tantummodo, which makes it wholly unintelligible. Lactantius on twofold grace of Baptism, 77 of Thibari thus describes the steps by which a man ought to proceed in order to become a full Christian : "First, by the imposition of the hand in exorcism; secondly, by the regeneration of Baptism ; then they can attain to the promise of Christ ; and in no other way ought they." Considering the point at issue in the Council, he appears to have meant by " the promise of Christ" (Christi pollicitationem) the gift of the Spirit in Confirmation. 1 Until the rise of the Donatist controversy, the African Church has little more to add to the teach- ing of Tertullian and Cyprian upon this subject, Lactantius, indeed, has a sentence which appears to contain a reference to the twofold grace of Baptism. He says that immortality does not belong to man by nature, but comes to him afterwards, when he begins to follow after righteousness, and to look up to God and heaven. " This takes place," he adds, " when a man, on being purified by the heavenly laver, puts away his childhood together with every stain of his former life, and receiving an advance of Divine vigour (incre- mento diuini uigoris accepto), becomes a full and perfect man." 2 Judging by the tradition of the Church to which Lactantius by race, if not by residence, be- The non does not appear in S. Aug. de Bapt. contra Donat. vi. 59, where the words are quoted. 1 Ap. Cypr. Sentent. Episc. 37. 2 Inet. Diu. vii. 5. Possibly incrementum may be intended to have its full classical sense of the " making*" of a thing, like Vergil's magnum Touts incrementum. 78 Optatus of Milevis longed, it is natural to suppose that he meant the purification and the putting away of the stains of sin to belong specially to the laver, while the Imposi- tion of the Hand conveyed that advance of Divine vigour which was to issue in perfect manhood. That he says no more is sufficiently accounted for by the character of the work from which these words are taken, especially as Lactantius, according to S. Je- rome, had defective understanding with regard to the Holy Ghost. 1 But the next explicit witness to the doctrine of Confirmation is Optatus of Milevis, who wrote against the Donatist schism towards the middle of the fourth century. The Donatists were in the habit of quoting the current version of Ps. cxli. 5 as a prayer to be delivered from receiving sacraments at the hands of wicked men. Optatus not, it must be owned, taking high critical ground endeavours to shew that the prayer is the prayer of Christ, not of the Christian, and that the oleum peccatorum which He deprecates is an unction administered by any human hands at all, since all men are sinners. "The Son therefore prays; let us see if the Father consented. This the Holy Ghost indicates and makes plain in the forty-fourth (45th) Psalm, where He says to none other than the Son, 'The Lord, 1 Hier. Ad Pamm. et Oc. (torn. IV. part ii. p. 345, Martianay) It is not certain how much of Lactantius' Christianity was derived from men who were Africans like himself and his friend Donatus, ami how much from Orientals at Nicomcdia on the Baptism of Christ. 79 even Thy God, shall anoint Thee with the oil of gladness in another manner than Thy fellows.' The ' fellows ' had been the priests and kings of the Jews, of whom we know that each one of them was anointed by men : but that the Son was to be anointed by the Father, God by God, according to His prayer, is announced and promised by the Spirit ; and the Father fulfilled it at the Jordan. For when the Son of God, our Saviour, came thither, He was manifested to John in these words : ' Behold the Lamb of God ; this is He Which taketh away the sins of the world.' He went down into the water not because there was anything in God that needed cleansing; but it was right for the Oil that was to come after to be preceded by the water, in order to initiate, and to set in due sequence, and to fulfil, the mysteries of Baptism (superuenturum oleum aqua debuit antecedere, ad mysteria initianda et ordinanda et implenda baptis- matis). When He had been washed and was in the hands of John, the sequence of the mystery was observed (lotus cum in loannis manibus haberetur, secutus est ordo mysterii) ; and the Father fulfilled what the Son had asked, and what the Holy Ghost had announced. The heaven was opened as God the Father applied the Unction. The spiritual Oil at once descended in the figure of a dove, and settled upon His head, and covered Him with oil, so that He began from thence to be called the Christ, as having been anointed by God the Father. And lest the Imposition of the Hand should appear to have been lacking, the voice of God was heard speaking from 8o Optatus makes Unction a the cloud, 'This is My Son, in Whom I am well pleased ; hear ye Him/ " 1 It is difficult to see from these words what S. Optatus understood to be the special benefit of the Laying on of Hands. At first sight Unction would appear, by his time, to have acquired a rela- tively greater importance than it had for Cyprian. It looks as if the gift of the Holy Ghost were now to be specially connected with it, rather than with the rite which succeeded it ; and as if the Imposition of the Hand were to be regarded only as an attestation of sonship. We have already seen, however, that Cyprian and other Africans considered the Imposition of the Hand and the gift conveyed by it to be an integral part of regeneration and of its sacrament, and probably this is Optatus' thought as well. As the voice of God at the Jordan announced the Divine filiation of Christ, so the Laying on of Hands symbolizes the gift which it also conveys which makes us finally and completely children of God. This seems to be his meaning. But we are not left wholly to conjecture. The place of Unction in the sacrament of Baptism is more definitely stated in another passage of the same book. "Oil," says Optatus, "is a simple thing, and has but one name of its own ; when it is tempered, it is called chrism, containing a fragrance which softens the skin of the conscience, driving out the hardness caused by sins, which makes the soul new and 1 De Schism. Don iv. 7. preparation for receiving the Spirit. 8 1 smooth, which prepares a throne for the Holy Ghost, that, being invited, He may there, all roughness being expelled, vouchsafe willingly to take up His abode." * Optatus' language reads here as if he had Tertul- lian's treatise De Baptismo open before him. The inuitatv, the libenter, even the sedes and the parat and in the earlier passage which I have quoted, the superiienturum all appear to be taken from Tertul- lian. Certainly the doctrine is Tertullian's. The water does not convey the gift of the Spirit ; 2 the oil does not convey it. The Unction is a preparatory rite. It. makes the new-cleansed soul ready to receive the Spirit, so that then He may be invoked to take up His abode in it through the Laying on of Hands. It may appear somewhat of a paradox to speak of the consistency of the tradition of the African Church on the doctrine of Baptism, when it is well known how complete a revolution took place between the days of S. Cyprian and those of S. Austin in regard to the baptism of heretics. Cyprian was pre- pared to go to ary lengths short of schism in his determination to have heretics rebaptized. Austin, though with the deepest reverence for Cyprian, regards rebaptism as a thing which a secret inspiration of God leads all men to abhor. 3 Yet, on examination, 1 De Scldsm. Don. vii. 4. * In v. 1 Optatus thus enumerates the glories of Baptism pure and simple : " You have well praised Baptism ;' for what believer does not know that Baptism is one and one only, the life of virtues, the death of guilt, the birth to immortality, the gaining of the heavenly kingdom, the haven of innocence, to use your own expression, the shipwreck of sins ? " 1 De Bapt. c. Donat. v. 6. a 82 Austin on the various parts of Baptism. the difference is only on the surface. S. Austin is quite as peremptoiy as S. Cyprian in maintaining the utter worthlessness of heretical or schismatical Bap- tism, so long as those who have received it remain apart from the Church. It is something of a wonder that he (like others) should have been so eager in defending the validity, or rather the irreversibleness, of such baptisms, when again and again he insists that they confer no grace, no remission of sins, no new birth, no sonship to God, that the Holy Spirit is not present at them, and that the character which they impress upon the soul serves only to mark it for punishment. The dislocation in the African tradition is purely one of form, and not of tone or of doctrine. S. Austin's teaching on the nature of the baptismal graces is fundamentally the same as that of his prede- cessors, though there are characteristic differences of expression. It would not be hard to show that S. Austin believed the Holy Ghost to be given in Baptism. There is, however, no passage, so far as I know, in all his voluminous writings, where this is affirmed of the sacrament of the Font by itself. His works contain no indication that the first part of Baptism was ever administered without the second. He speaks, as others before him, of the three or four "sacra- ments," of which Baptism is composed, together. The following is a striking instance. A child at Uzalis, of which his friend Evodius was bishop, had, to all appearance, died unbaptized, but without fault of its mother. S. Austin relates how, by the help of Miracle on a child at Uzalis. 83 S. Stephen, whose relics were preserved at Uzalis, the chilgl was brought back to life to be baptized. " Immediately," he says, " she took him to the presbyters. He was baptized; he was consecrated (sanctificatus) ; he was anointed; he received the Imposition of the Hand. When all the sacraments were accomplished, he was taken." * It is plain that Austin is here describing Baptism as he was accustomed to perform it, and to see it performed. It agrees exactly with the description given by Tertullian. In another place, combating S. Cyprian's argument quoted above, 2 that schismatics have no altar on which to consecrate their chrism, and are therefore unable to confer the Christian graces, he says " How it comes about that God can consecrate the oil at the words which proceed from the mouth of a murderer, and cannot consecrate it upon an altar erected by heretics, I do not know. It means that the deceptive conversion of a man's heart raises no obstacle within the Church, while the deceptive erec- 1 Senn. cccxxiv. It is not clear whether the sandificatio which here intervenes between Baptism and Unction is a separate rite or not. It looks as if it were so. It may perhaps refer to the use of the sign of the cross either with or without the chrism. It would then throw light on the signatio spoken of in a slightly varying order by Tertul- lian (see above, p. 63), and on S. Cyprian's phrase baptizare et sancti- ficare (see above, p. 65). It is not certain that applying chrism in the form of the cross was an African usage. Some passages of Austin which have been taken to prove it relate rather to the ceremonies observed with catechumens, e.g. Tract, in loann. cxviii. 5; Enarr. in Psalm, cxli. 9; de Catech. Rud. xx. 34; de Peccat. Mer. et Remiss, ii. 42. * See p. 68. 84 Water, Oil, and Imposition of Hand. tion of a wooden board elsewhere raises an obstacle against His vouchsafing to be present at His own sacraments, although the insincerities of men are no obstacle. If, therefore, the Gospel saying, 'God heareth not sinners,' prevents the celebration of true sacraments by a sinner, how is it that He hears the invocation of a murderer either over the water of Baptism, or over the oil, or over the Eucharist, or over the heads of those who receive Imposition of the Hand? But these are all done and validly done by the ministry of murderers that is, of men who hate their brethren even within the Church herself. On the principle that ' no man can give what he does not possess,' how comes a murderer to give the Holy Spirit ? Yet such an one baptizes within the Church. It is God, then, Who gives the Holy Spirit when even such baptize." * The Holy Spirit is here clearly said to be given in Baptism, but the parts of such a Baptism have been named in detail the Water, the Oil, and the Imposi- tion of the Hand. Elsewhere he is discussing texts which the Donatists were fond of quoting in proof- of the nullity of Baptism received from sinful hands that is, from ministers of the Catholic Church. Austin shows their inconsis- 1 De Sapt. r,. Donat. v. 28. The somewhat curious insertion of the mention of the Eucharist between the Unction and the Laying on of Hands comes, no doubt, from the fact that in the passage which S. Austin is criticizing there is no mention of the Laying on of Hands at all, and S. Austin follows the order of S. Cyprian as far as it goes, adding afterwards what was necessary to complete the description of Church Baptism. The Eucharist is only mentioned at all because of its effect in the consecration of the chrism. Baptism and Unction inseparable. 85 tency in admitting without rebaptism persons bap- tized by sinners of their own persuasion. The texts quoted do not, indeed, mention the Laying on of Hands, but Unction is evidently regarded, both by S. Austin and by his Donatist opponents, as a con- stituent element in Baptism. " If in this passage (Jer. xv. 18) the sacrament of Baptism is to be understood, why are we to believe that ministers of their own that are ' liars ' and ' faith- less ' neither give nor possess ' lying and faithless Water ' ? Why does the ' washing avail ' in their case, when ' baptized by the dead ' amongst themselves (Ecclus. xxxiv. 25) ? How come ' sinners ' ever to ' enrich with their Oil the heads ' of others (Ps. cxli. 5) ? Why, there, do ' dying ' or dead ' flies ' succeed in not ' destroying the sweetness of the Ointment ' (Eccles. x. 1) ? What privilege supports their ' deceit- ful ones,' their wolves in sheep's clothing, that 'the Holy Spirit of discipline does not flee' them (Wisd. i. 5) ? or if the Holy Spirit has fled them, how comes He to be given through them to those who have been baptized ? " * From these passages it will be inferred that in Austin's opinion Unction was so inseparably united with Baptism that the validity of the one carried with it the validity of the other. There is another passage also in his works where he maintains, as in the two foregoing, that the grace of Unction does not depend upon the worthiness of the minister. It seems as if the incautious language of Optatus about Contra Parmen ii. 21. 86 Unction makes us a royal priesthood the " sinner's oil " had brought the Church into trouble, for Austin finds himself compelled to expose the fallacy of it : " It has often been believed that the ' oil of a sinner' means the 'oil of a man,' inasmuch as 'all men are liars.' But Christ's oil because He had no sin at all is not the oil of a sinner, even though it be administered by means of a sinner." 1 Of the spiritual significance and effects of the baptismal Unction, Austin speaks frequently and fully. Sometimes it is to repeat the language of Tertullian and Optatus about the priesthood and king- ship of the Christian, which he always makes a point of connecting expressly with that union between the Christian and Christ, which is established by Baptism. " No one among the faithful, I suppose, doubts that the priesthood of the Jews was a figure of the royal priesthood that was to be the priesthood which is in the Church to which all are consecrated who belong to the body of Christ, the supreme and true High Priest. For now all are also anointed, which in those days was done only to kings and priests ; and when Peter, writing to the Christian people, speaks of 'a royal priesthood,' he makes it plain that that people are suitably described by both the titles to which the unction was appropriated." 2 Again "All who have been anointed with His chrism we 1 8-rm. cclxvi. 1. * Quacst. Euang. IT. xl 3. by virtue of union with Christ. 87 may rightly call christs ; but inasmuch as the whole body with its Head is one Christ." l Again " When it says, ' They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years/ of course it does not speak of bishops and presbyters only, who are distinctively called priests in the Church ; but just as we call all ' Christians ' by reason of the mystical chrism, so we call all ' priests/ because they are members of the one Priest." 2 Discussing the heading of the 26th (27th) Psalm Psalmus Dauid prius quam liniretur S. Austin argues thus : " David was anointed as king. Only the king and the priest were anointed then. Those two per- sonages were in those times anointed personages. In these two personages was prefigured the future King and Priest in one, one Christ in both offices, and called Christ because of the chrism. But not our Head alone was anointed, but His Body also, which is ourselves. He is King, because He rules and leads us ; Priest, because He intercedes for us. And indeed He is the only priest who is Sacrifice as well. He offered to God a sacrifice none other than Himself. For He could find besides Himself no reasonable victim, truly clean as it were a lamb without spot, redeeming us by the shedding of His Blood, incor- porating us into Himself, making us His members, that in Him we also might be ' Christ/ For this cause the anointing belongs to all Christians, whereas 1 DC Ciu. Dti. XVII. iv. 9. * Ibid. XX x. 88 Austin on the outward and inward in the former days, of the Old Testament, it belonged only to two personages. But thence it is apparent that we are the Body of Christ, because we all are anointed : and we all, in Him, are both christs and Christ, because in a manner the whole Christ is Head and Body together. That anointing shall spiritually complete us in that life which is promised to us : but this is the voice of one who desires that life; it is the voice of one who desires the grace of God which in the end will be completed in us ; therefore it is said, 'Before he was anointed.' For now we are anointed in a sacrament, and by that very sacrament is foreshadowed something that we shall be; and that unspeakable somewhat that is to be we ought to desire, and to groan under the sacrament, that we may rejoice in that reality which the sacrament foreshows." l S. Austin is fond of thus emphasizing the difference between the sacramental rite of Unction and the grace which it betokens and conveys. Thus, where he comments on the words of Ps. xlv., " God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows," after dwelling on the fact that this unction peculiar to the Hebrew people made Christ at once Priest and King, he proceeds to say " He was then anointed, God by God, with what oil but spiritual ? For visible oil is used in the sign ; there is an invisible oil in the sacrament ; the spiritual oil is within." 2 The distinction thus made leads S. Austin to state 1 Enarr. in Psalm, xxvi. tit. * Ihid. xliv. 19. parts of sacrament of Unction. 89 precisely the nature of that spiritual or invisible oil which makes us priests and kings. " The spiritual unction," he says, in discussing the language of S. John's Epistle, " is the Holy Ghost Himself, of which the sacrament is in the visible Unction. He says that all who have this unction of Christ know the bad from the good, nor do they need to be taught, because the unction itself teaches them." l And a little lower down "The sacrament," or "mystery," "of the Unction consists in the invisible virtue itself. The invisible unction is the Holy Ghost. The invisible unction is that charity which serves as a root to any man in whom it is, so that however the sun burns he cannot wither. All that is rooted is nourished by the heat of the sun, not withered." 2 1 Tract, in Ep. loan. iii. 5. S. Austin's reading here is clearly KOJ olSare iravrfs, not irdvra. * Ibid. 12. In the last three passages quoted, it is very difficult to see exactly what S. Austin means by the word sacramentum. In the first, oleum enim uisibile in eigno est, oleum inuisibile in Sacramento est, supposing the text to be correct, it looks at first as if he meaut to say, " There is a visible oil in the sacrament, and there is also an invisible." But then the substitution of Sacramento in the latter clause would be unmeaning. I take it, therefore, that by signo he intends the Old Testament symbol, by sacramento the New Testament mystery, or antitype of the symbol. The same kind of meaning must be given to the word, I think, in the third of these three passages, unctionis sacramentum est uirtus ipsa inuisibilis. It appears to signify, " the thing which S. John mystically means in this passage by the word ' unction.' " So in the second passage here quoted, cuius sacra- mentum est in unctione uisibili, the cuius sacramentum may mean " who is mystically denoted," rather than " who is sacramentally conveyed." The word is always a difficult one to deal with ; and this usage identifying, as it dots, sacramentum with ui rtus ipsa inuisibili$ oo Unction imparts a moral attractiveness. Similarly, in dealing with the Donatists, he accuses them of mixing up the outward and the inward : "By this 'precious ointment' you would have us understand the sacrament of the Chrism It does, indeed, rank as a most sacred thing in the class of visible signs or seals (signaculorum), like Baptism itself. But it can be found also in men of the worst character, who waste their life in works of the flesh, and who never will possess the kingdom of heaven ; who, therefore, do not belong to Aaron's beard, nor to the skirts of his clothing, nor to any part of the material of the priest's raiment. Discern, then, between the visible holy sacrament, which is found alike in good men and in bad in the one to reward, in the other to judgment and the invisible unction of charity, which is the special property of the good Discern between these, I say ; discern." * A similar value is assigned to Unction, when Austin beautifully interprets the " oil which maketh a cheerful countenance : " " What is this making of the countenance cheerful with oil ? It is the grace of God, as it were a mani- fested shining. ... It is a kind of grace given to men for men to see, to attract a holy love. This is called oil, in its Divine shining ; and because it appeared in its most perfect excellence in the Christ, the whole world loves Him. . . . For such is His grace that many even who do not bslieve in Him, praise Him, is almost the exact opposite to the more frequent one where sacra- mentum is the outward sign as distinguished from the inward grace. 1 Contra Litt. Petil. ii. 239. The ticut ipse baptismus shewa at once the connexion with Baptism and the difference from it. It gives the fire of the Holy Ghost. 9 1 and say that their only reason for not believing in Him is that no man can fulfil what He commands. . . . Yet He is dear to all, renowned of all, because anointed beyond others, and therefore the Christ. For Christ means anointed ; He is called Christ from the chrism : in Hebrew, Messias ; in Greek, Christ ; in Latin, Anointed. But He anoints His whole body, all over ; therefore all who come receive grace, that their countenances may be made cheerful with the oil." * That S. Austin definitely looked upon Unction as being the ordinary mode of receiving the Holy Ghost, is made clear by his language concerning the sequence of the baptismal rites in addressing the Infantes, that is, the newly initiated Christians. He is preparing them for their first Communion. He has explained to them the symbolism of the " one bread " how it is made out of many different grains of corn, which have been ground, and moistened, and baked. " So you, also, were first ground, as it were, by the humiliation of fasting and the sacrament of exorcism. Then came Baptism, with its water: you were moistened, as it were, to bring you into the shape of bread. But bread is not yet bread without fire. What, then, does the fire represent ? It is the Chrism. For the oil of our fire is the sacrament of the Holy Ghost. Observe what we read in the Acts of the Apostles. The book begins to be read at this very season. . . . Observe, therefore, and you will see that the Holy Ghost will come at Pentecost. And He will come in this manner; He shews Himself in fiery 1 Enarr. in Psalm, ciii. 13. 92 The way the "one bread" is made. tongues. For He inspires men with charity, whereby we may be on fire towards God, and may despise the world, and the 'hay' in us may be burned up, and our heart be purified like gold. So the Holy Ghost comes next after the water, the fire ; and you are made bread, which is the Body of Christ. And there- fore, in a way, unity is symbolized. Now you have the sacraments in their proper order." l He repeats the same thoughts in two other ser- mons : "After that, you came to the water, and were moiotened, and made into one. The heat of the Holy Ghost was added, and you were baked, and you became the bread of the Lord." a Once more : " When you were exorcized, it was the grinding of you. When you were baptized, it was your moisten- ing. When you received the fire of the Holy Ghost, it was the baking of you." 3 It is especially instructive to compare these passages from three different Sermones ad Infantes. Had we possessed but the two latter, although we might have surmised from the parallelism of the sentences that S. Austin attributed the gift of the Spirit to a separate rite, yet it would have been open to us to suppose that he only referred to another side or aspect of "Baptism itself." The comparison with the first of these sermons makes it evident that when S. Austin spoke to Christians of their 1 Sera, ccxxvii. * germ, ccxxix. * Serm. cclxxi. Place of Unction in S. Austin. 93 having received the Holy Ghost, he expected them to think of their Unction. Unction undoubtedly occupies a more promi- nent and definite place in the doctrine of S. Austin than it occupied in that of S. Cyprian, or even of S. Optatus. Not only does it serve as others had taught before to consecrate all Christians to be kings and priests. This might have been considered to be only a ceremonial recognition of prerogatives conferred in christening especially when S. Austin sa markedly connects the royal priesthood with in- corporation into Christ. But Unction is for him the sacrament by which the Holy Ghost is given and received something quite apart from the grace bestowed in " Baptism itself." Among the benefits of receiving the Holy Ghost in the sacrament of Unction he specifies knowledge, charity, attractiveness of life, fervour of devotion. This is a great advance upon the earlier doctrine. At first it would seem as if Austin had left no room for the Laying on of Hands, and that it must be quite superseded by the twin ceremony of Unction. This is not the case, however. His language about the Laying on of Hands is no less explicit than his language about the rite which had encroached upon it. An important passage in the De Trinitate thus sets the two side by side without a sense of rivalry. He is proving the Deity of Christ by the fact that He bestows the Holy Spirit. "How, then, can He be not God, when He gives the Holy Ghost ? Rather, how great a God must He 94 Unction and Laying on of Hands. be Who gives God as His gift ? None of His disciples ever gave the Holy Ghost. They prayed, indeed, that He would come upon those on whom they laid their hands ; but they did not themselves give Him. This usage is still preserved by the Church in the action of her prelates. . . . For this reason also the Lord Jesus Himself did not only give the Holy Spirit as God, but also received Him as man, and is therefore said to have been full both of grace and of the Holy Ghost. And it is written of Him more explicitly in the Acts of the Apostles, 'How God anointed Him with the Holy Ghost/ not, to be sure, with visible oil, but with a gift of grace, which is signified by the visible unguent wherewith the Church anoints the baptized. Yet assuredly it was not then that Christ was anointed with the Holy Ghost, when upon His Baptism the Holy Ghost descended on Him like a dove ; then, He was pleased to prefigure His Body, the Church, in which in a special sense those who have been bap- tized receive the Holy Ghost (in qua praecipue baptizati accipiunt Spiritum sanctum). But with that mystic, invisible unction He must be supposed to have been anointed when the Word of God was made flesh that is, when human nature, without any merit of good works beforehand, was joined to God the Word in the Virgin's womb and made one Person with Him. For this cause we confess Him to be ' born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary.' For it would be absurd in the extreme to believe that He only received the Holy Ghost at thirty years of age. . . . [We must believe] that as He came to Donatists on Laying on of Hands. 95 Baptism without any sin at all, so He came not with- out the Holy Ghost. 1 . . . Again, where it is written of Him that He ' hath received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost and shed it forth/ both natures are indicated, the Human and the Divine: He received as man, He shed forth as God. We on the other hand are able to receive this gift, indeed, according to our poor measure ; but to shed it forth upon others is quite impossible for us. That it may be done, we invoke God over them, and He, and He alone, effects it." 2 S. Austin was moved to adopt the line here followed, of maintaining that men could not give the Holy Spirit, by the exigencies of the controversy with Donatism. The Donatists insisted with a vehe- mence which scandalized him, upon the absolute necessity of the Laying on of Hands. " You say," S. Austin cries, " that never since the first hundred and twenty did the Spirit come without Imposition." 3 This contention of theirs was bound up with their favourite tenet that no grace could be expected except through a worthy minister. It became necessary, therefore, for S. Austin to show that the 1 Washing from sin, and the gift of the Spirit, being the two blessings bestowed in Baptism. * De Trin. xv. 46. * Serm. cclxxvi. 6. Of course they would not administer it to Catholics who joined them without first baptizing them afresh. " For the Holy Spirit," said Petilian, their chief controversialist, " will not be able to be engrafted into any one by the Imposition of the Hand of the pontiff, unless the water whicli begets a pure conscience have come first " (Aug. contr. Lilt. Petil. ii. 81). It was precisely the language of S. Cyprian. 96 Austin argues that the gift of the Spirit grace of the Laying on of Hands no more depended upon the minister than that of any other sacrament. He appears never to be weary of reiterating that the gift of the Holy Ghost is not the gift of men. He frequently refers, in proof of this, to the various ways in which it is recorded to have been bestowed in the Acts of the Apostles. The instance of Cornelius is an especial favourite. " While Peter was yet speaking, I do not say before he laid his hand upon him, but even before he baptized him, and while those who were with Peter still doubted whether the uncircumcised ought to be baptized at all, ... in order that this question might be removed by God, when Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit came filled Cornelius filled those who were with him. And thus by the evidence of the mighty gift itself (ipsa attestations rei magnae), proclamation was made, as it were, to Peter, ' Why dost thou hesi- tate concerning the water ? lo ! I am here already.' " 1 The saint's language seems to imply that the gift of the Holy Ghost was if not actually the res sacra- menti, or substantive thing conveyed by Baptism yet the thing towards the attainment of which Bap- tism was directed, as a preliminary step. Yet the words, TioTi dico, nondum imponente manum, cer- tainly shew that the Imposition of the Hand was the way in which that gift was normally to be expected, not Baptism itself. " Thenceforward," he cries in a Pentecostal sermon, "the Holy Spirit began to be given through the 1 Serm. xcix. 12. is independent of any mode of conveyance. 97 ministry of the Apostles. They laid on hands, and He came. But this was not the men's doing ; let not the minister claim any share beyond that of a minister. The bestower is one, the instrument is another. This the Spirit has testified, lest men should claim for themselves that which is of God. For in this way Simon wished to make himself of importance, who thought that the gift was to be ascribed to the men, and therefore promised the Apostles money, in order that the Holy Ghost might come at his own laying on of hands. . . . 'But,' say they, 'it was given by means of men.' Well, was it therefore the men's doing ? ' But it could not have been given,' say they, 'except by the means of holy men.' Why, had it come into them by means of men ? The Apostles laid on hands and the Holy Ghost came; but when He came to them, who laid hands on them ? " l So again "A hundred and twenty persons were gathered together. No man upon earth laid hands on them, but the Holy Ghost coming from heaven filled them. And when the order of the Church was now well established, the centurion Cornelius, before Baptism itself, before Laying on of Hands, together with those that were with him, was filled with the same Spirit, so that even Peter was astounded." 2 Thus, again, defending the position that heretical baptisms were valid, and yet conveyed no gift of the Spirit, he says " And lest it should be thought a necessary con- 1 8erm. cclxvi. 3. * Contra Parmen. ii. 34. H 98 True Baptism does not involve the gift. sequence that any one who has the Baptism of the Trinity must also have the Holy Spirit, therefore even within the unity of the Church a great distinc- tion was made. We find that some who had been baptized acquired the Holy Spirit at a later date, when the Apostles were come to them at Samaria, having been absent when they were baptized. Others of which case there is only a solitary example received Him before Baptism, as while Peter was speaking the grant was made to Cornelius and those who were with him by that Divine power against which man can say nothing. Upon others He came immediately upon their Baptism, as upon that eunuch to whom Philip had preached Christ out of the Prophet Isaiah ; 1 upon others, by the laying on of the Apostles' hands, as upon far the greatest number ; upon others, by no laying on of hands, but while all were praying ; upon some, neither by laying on of hands, nor at the prayer of any, but while all were listening to the Word of God. . . . Why, then, did He come now this way, now that way, except that we might not ascribe any part of the benefit to human pride, but all to the Divine grace and power? This distinction, then, between the receiving of Baptism and the receiving of the Holy Ghost sufficiently teaches us not to think that men are at once possessed of the Holy Ghost when we admit that they are possessed of true Baptism." 2 1 The text of the Acts used by S. Austin, as well as by S. Jerome, had the interpolation which appears, as a correction by the original hand, in the Codex Alex., " And when they were come up out of the water, the Holy Ghost fell upon the eunuch, and an angel of the Lord caught away Philip." J Serm. cclxix. 2. Laying on of Hands and miraculous gifts. 99 It is a pity that S. Austin did not tell us distinctly what he felt to have been the spiritual value of Bap- tism to men who, like the Samaritans, had received it with all right dispositions within the Church, and had not received the Holy Ghost. But these words shew how clearly he perceived that the two things are not the same, even in the case of worthy recipients. The gift of Baptism was not the gift of the Spirit ; this was usually attached to the Laying on of Hands. When we come to inquire what the saint thought to be the special benefits of this great gift so conveyed, we find him, naturally, adverting to the miraculous manifestations of the Spirit's presence in the early Church. These he declares, in his Retractations, not to have wholly ceased in his own time, and he regrets that words of his appeared to assert that they had. " When the hand is laid upon the baptized, they do not now still receive the Holy Ghost in such a manner as to speak with the tongues of all nations. . . . But what I said is not to be taken to mean that no miracles are now done in the name of Christ." * He strongly asserts, however, that these miraculous exhibitions were not of the essence of the gift, that they served a purpose for which they were no longer needed, and that there were more precious forms in which the reality of the gift was still displayed. " Is the Holy Ghost not given at the present day, my brethren ? Whoever thinks so, is not worthy to receive Him. He is indeed still given. Why, then, does no one speak with the tongues of all nations, as 1 Retract. I. xiii. 7. TOO The Laying on of Hands and those spoke who in that day were filled with the Holy Ghost ? Why ? The reason is that the thing which was then signified, is now accomplished. . . . That little Church, speaking with the tongues of all nations, what else did it mean but this Church, so great, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, speaking with the tongues of all nations ? . . . Let no one therefore say, 'If I received the Holy Ghost, why do I not speak with the tongues of all nations ? ' If you would have the Holy Ghost attend to me, my brethren. The spirit by which every man lives is called his soul, . . . and you see, my brethren, what the soul does in the body. ... So is the Church of God. In some of the saints [the soul of the Church] works miracles ; in other saints it utters the truth; in other saints it preserves vir- ginity ; in other saints it preserves conjugal chastity ; in some one thing, in some other. All have their several functions, yet all live the same life. What the soul is to the body of a man, that the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church." 1 But after all is said, the main exhibition of the gift received by the Laying on of Hands is charity. "If thou discoverest that thou hast charity, thou hast the Spirit of God for understanding. This is indeed a thing most necessary. In the first days the Holy Spirit fell upon believers, and they spoke with tongues which they had not learned, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Such signs were suitable to the time. It was fitting that a sign of the Holy 1 Serm. cclxvii. 3, 4. the ordinary gifts of the Spirit. lOi Ghost should thus be given in all languages, because the Gospel of God was to run through all languages over the whole world. That sign was given, and passed away. At the present time, is it expected of those on whom the hand is laid that they may receive the Holy Ghost, that they should speak with tongues ? Or when we laid hands on yonder Infantes, did you all look to see whether they spoke with tongues ? And was there any of you so wrong- hearted as to say, on seeing that they did not speak with tongues, 'These have not received the Holy Ghost ; for if they had received Him, they would speak with tongues, as was the case in those days ' ? If, therefore, the Holy Ghost does not testify His presence by such miracles at the present time, how comes a man to know that he has received the Holy Ghost ? Let him ask his own heart. If he loves his brother, the Spirit of God abideth in him. ... If thou wouldest know that thou Last received the Spirit, ask thine own heart, for fear thou shouldest have the sacrament without having the virtue of the sacrament. Ask thine own heart ; if the love of thy brother is there, be of good comfort : love cannot be without the Spirit of God." x In something of the same way S. Austin explains the use of the Laying on of Hands in the reception of heretics, which, like others before him, he identifies with the penitential use, but gives it the spiritual value of Confirmation. It was to bring them into Divine charity. 1 Tract, in Ep. loan. vi. 9, 10. 102 Charity the chief gift of the Spirit. "If, however, the Imposition of the Hand were not used for one coming over from heresy, he would in a manner be pronounced exempt from all blame ; but for the sake of binding together in charity, which is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, without which all other holy things which the man may have had in his possession are of no avail for salvation, therefore the hand is laid upon heretics when they reform." l These are great things to believe concerning the Laying on of Hands. Yet it must be owned that the line which Austin was accustomed to take in dealing with Donatism led him occasionally to use expressions of a somewhat minimising nature with regard to the very rite by which he believed the Holy Ghost to be ordinarily given. It must be remembered that the heretics with whom Austin had to deal were for the most part Donatists. They had already received the Laying on of Hands from their own bishops. It was inevitable therefore, that the Catholic champion should find some reason to allege for not repeating their Baptism and yet repeating their Confirmation'. The reason which he alleges is contained in the following passage, which forms part of his criticism upon Cyprian's famous letter to Jubaian : " When it is averred that ' the Holy Spirit is given only in the Catholic Church, by the Laying on of 1 De Eapt. contra Donat. v. 33. The Benedictine note upon the passage next cited appears to understand the first sentence in this passage differently, as if S. Austin meant that there would be no harm in omitting the Imposition of Hands. I do not tliink this inter- pretation will stand. Laying on of Hands may be repealed. 103 Hands/ no doubt our forefathers intended that we should understand what the Apostle speaks of, ' Because the charity of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Which was given us.' For this is that charity which is not possessed by those who are cut off from the communion of the Catholic Church ; and accordingly, if they should speak with the tongues of men and of angels, ... it profiteth them nothing. Those who do not love the unity of the Church, have not the charity of God ; and accord- ingly we see that it is rightly said that the Holy Ghost is not received except in the Catholic Church. For the Holy Spirit is not now given with the attes- tation of temporal miracles, perceptible to the senses, through the Laying on of Hands, as formerly He was given, in order to carry conviction to uneducated faith and to enlarge the beginnings of the Church. For who expects now that those on whom the hand is laid for the receiving of the Holy Ghost should forth- with begin to speak with tongues ? But we under- stand that invisibly and secretly the Divine charity is inspired into their hearts for the sake of the bond of peace, that they may be able to say, ' The charity of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Which was given us.' . . . Whatever heretics and schismatics may receive, the charity which covereth a multitude of sins is the peculiar gift of Catholic unity and peace. . . . But the Imposition of the Hand is not, like Baptism, incapable of repetition. For what else is it but praying over a man ? " x 1 De Bapt. contra Donat. Hi. 21. i O4 Laying on of Hands an act of blessing. With this may be compared his description of the difference between " prayers " (7r/bopayiaBr\vai VTTO TOU ITTKTKOTTOV by nee signaculo chrismatis con- summatus est. Weighty reasons have been assigned for supposing that the " seal " which ought to have been sought from the bishop was rather the Imposi- tion of Hands than the Chrism. But it seems to have been overlooked that Cornelius himself implies more than one act when he speaks of " the remaining things" (TWV AotTrwv). There can be little question but that Unction and Laying on of Hands are both implied, and that both together are designated by the > Hist. Ecd. VI. xliii. 14, 15. It is quite possible that the letter was origiually written in Greek. 120 T/te Spirit not given without the Seal. name of the "seal" which follows. The particle re which connects TOV afypayiaB^vai with rwv XOJTTWV is the regular one for attaching an explanatory clause, and not a clause containing something additional. The " seal " is identical with " the remaining things." And without the "seal" it appeared impossible to Cornelius, and he supposed that it would appear equally impossible to Fabius, for Novatian to be reckoned as having obtained the Holy Ghost. The question asked by Cornelius is quite general. He does not cast any doubt upon the sufficiency of clinical Baptism as such. When he says, " If indeed such a one can be said to have received at all," he refers, not to the circum- stances in which the baptism was applied to Novatian, but to his character and subsequent history, which appeared to shew that his baptism, however good in itself, had never been really appropriated" by him. Cornelius does not mean that a man baptized in the face of the Church would have obtained without the seal what one baptized in bed could only obtain by means of the seal. Any one publicly baptized would normally receive the seal at his Baptism ; but in any case, one who had not received the seal at the hands of the bishop, had not obtained the Holy Ghost. If Novatian himself never received that Divine gift, yet few teachers' of the early ages have spoken more clearly and richly about it than he has. He evidently had no doubt that his own Baptism had conveyed it to him. " It is one and the same Spirit," he says, " Who was in the Prophets and in the Apostles, save that in the Novation on Baptism and the Spirit. 121 former case it was for the moment, in the latter for ever. In the former case [He came] not to be always in tliem ; in the latter, to remain in them always. There, He was distributed in a small measure ; here, He is poured out in His personal entirety. There, He was given in sparing fashion ; here, He is supplied abundantly. . . . This is He Who works the second birth of the waters, being as it were the seed of a Divine race, and the consecrator of a heavenly birth, the pledge of the promised inheritance, and a kind of title-deed of eternal salvation, to make us the temple of God and cause us to be His home ; Who intercedes for us to the Divine ears with groanings which cannot be uttered, fulfilling the duties of an advocate and performing the task of our defence; given to our bodies for their inhabitant and the effective agent of their sanctification, so doing in us to bring our bodies to eternity and to the resurrection of immortality, while He accustoms them in His own person to be conjoined with heavenly powers, and to be associated with the eternity of the Holy Spirit." l His silence concerning the " seal " may be inter- preted as in the case of other ancient authors who ascribe the gift of the Holy Ghost to " Baptism ; " Baptism implicitly including it. But, considering the accusations which were abroad concerning him, 2 it might be legitimate to treat his silence as evidence 1 De Trin. 29. * The treatise was probably written before Novatian fell into schism, therefore we cannot be sure that these accusations were already cur- rent ; but evidently Novatian had long been an object of envy nt Rome before the rupture. 122 The treatise ' De Rebaptismate! for the truth of Theodoret's statement that the Novatianists rejected Confirmation. This, at least, is certain, that if Novatian considered the seal not necessary in order to obtain the Holy Spirit, he was opposed to the current belief of the great Church whose bishopric he attempted to seize. The other great ecclesiastical controversy of the age was that concerning Rebaptism. On this subject is preserved an invaluable anonymous treatise, which is printed in most editions of S. Cyprian, and in the fifth volume of Routh's Reliquiae Sacrae. The book has been ascribed to different dates and countries. It has been sometimes identified with the work of an African monk named Ursinus, who flourished about A.D. 440, and who, according to Gennadius, wrote in defence of the validity of heretical baptisms. Nothing in the treatise itself, except its main thesis, accords with that theory. The author speaks of himself as a bishop. He lived in days of persecuting heathenism. Instead of thrashing the dying carcase of Donatism, which must have been the occupation of Ursinus, he speaks of the controversy as now for the first time thrust upon the Church, nor is it possible to think that his opponents are in actual schism. Moreover, he pointedly speaks of the movement for rebaptism as started, and still headed, by a single man, a bishop, and in very high position, whom, however, he does not name. It is difficult to suppose this man to be any other than Cyprian himself, unless, indeed, the date should be carried still further back, and the man be Agrippinus. Furthermore, the African Roman authorship of the treatise. 123 Church seems to have been so entirely agreed with Cyprian in his contention, that we should hardly expect to find a bishop of that date in Africa capable of writing so powerful a criticism on the prevailing party, at any rate without notice of him in the correspondence of Cyprian, or in the Carthaginian Council. There is considerable reason for thinking that the treatise was originally written in Greek. 1 Rome was the head-quarters of the opposition to Cyprian's teaching on the subject, and the Roman Church was still in large measure a Greek-speaking Church. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it seems safe to consider the anonymous tract De Rebaptismate as the production of one of the prelates in the entourage of Stephen. Stephen's own opinion is contained in the following words which are quoted by S. Cyprian : "If, therefore, any come over to you, from what- soever heresy, let no innovation be made upon the received tradition, that the hand should be laid upon them in penance." 2 This position though without much stress being laid upon the penitential aspect of the ordinance is worked out in the anonymous treatise with a force and lucidity which make it stand high among the controversial pieces of antiquity. The whole work may be said to be a discussion of the relation of Con- 1 See (e.g.) 1, plurimas quantas calumnias, 6, aliquod scdbran* fidem. See also below, p. 129. If the translation was made in Africa, this would account for its supposed Africanisms. * Cypr. Epist. Ixiv. 1. 124 The question to be discussed in it. formation to Baptism. The question to be examined is thus stated : "Whether, according to most ancient custom and the tradition of the Church, after a baptism received out- side of the Church, yet in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, it is enough for the hand only to be laid upon them by the bishop, for receiving the Holy Ghost, and whether this Laying on of the Hand furnishes them with the repeated and completed seal of faith (signum fidei iteratum atque consummatum) ; or whether, on the other hand, the repetition of Baptism also is requisite for them (etiam iteratum baptisma) which would be to treat them as possessed of nothing, if this also is a thing which they never obtained at all." The writer proceeds to examine systematically, as he hopes, the passages of Scripture which bear upon the subject. John, he says, whose authority in the matter is confirmed both by our Lord and by the Apostles, spoke of a Baptism of the Spirit which was to follow his own penitential baptism of water ; and the Baptism of the Spirit is shewn to have been for the firs,t disciples a Baptism of the Spirit only the water being held to have been sufficiently applied by John. Such a Baptism of the Spirit, he goes on to say, is sometimes given secretly, and independent ot all outward signs, and sometimes also along with the baptism of water, and sometimes with that of blood. "To this, perhaps, you, who would introduce a novelty, may at once reply impatiently, as is your wont, that the Lord said in the Gospel, 'Except a man be born again of water and Spirit, he cannot Water and Spirit sometimes separate 125 enter into the kingdom of heaven.' From which it manifestly appears that only that Baptism can avail, in which the Holy Spirit also may be (inesse) ; for upon the Lord Himself, when He was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended, so that His deed corresponded to His word ; nor can this mystery hold on any other principle. No man on our side would be found so insane or so disloyal" as to contradict this reply, in defiance of truth and right. . . . But if in the same New Testament the things which we here find united, should sometimes be found in a manner divided and apart, and in precisely such an order as if each were a thing by itself, it would be well to see whether they may sometimes take place singly by themselves, with- out either being thereby mutilated, but as being whole and perfect (si haec quae in isto negotio deprehendimiis adunata, nonnumquam reperiantur quodammodo diuisa ac separata et proinde disposita atque si sint singula, uideamus utrum possint esse aliquando ctiam sinyulariter solitaria, quasi non sint mutila, sed tamquam Integra atque perfecta)." Such instances are to be found, the author con- tinues, in the case of the Samaritans whom the Apostles confirmed, and of the Apostles themselves, on whom the Lord did not breathe the Spirit till after His resurrection, long after their baptism with water. In these and other cases, though the Baptism with the Spirit was not at once given, the baptism with the water was sufficient to ensure salvation, so that a man would not have been lost if he had died in the interval between the two kinds of baptism. 126 without either being therefore imperfect. " If you admit this, and believe it to be wholesome doctrine, and do not quarrel with the opinion of all the faithful, then you must needs confess . . . that, when Baptism in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ has preceded, the Laying on of the Hand of the bishop is capable, by itself, of conveying to a penitent and believing man from elsewhere the impartition of the Holy Ghost." i To deny that these benefits can be given separately, and given separately without risk to the recipient, is, he contends, to do one of two things either to allow that others besides the bishops can bestow the Holy Ghost, or to imperil the souls of all bishops, at whose hands will be required the blood of those who die baptized but unconfirmed. Indeed, sometimes the Holy Ghost is found to be given to believers without the baptism of water at all, as in the case of Cornelius, when faith alone per- formed the function usually performed by faith and Baptism together, namely, the purification of the heart, as S. Peter afterwards said, " He put no differ- ence betwixt us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." The baptism of water which ensued conferred nothing additional except "the invocation of the name of Jesus Christ." To invoke this name is no light thing. It must not, of course, be supposed that heathens or heretics are at liberty to take it in vain, and that the mere invocation of it conveys salvation so long as the persons concerned remain in error. But it is open to them " to correct their error, and to come to the Church and to the Baptism of the Spirit the greater, 127 bishop, and to confess sincerely our Jesus before men, in order that then, when the bishop lays his hand upon them, they may receive the Holy Ghost as well, without forfeiting that original invocation of the name of Jesus, which none of us may gainsay." Then, the original invocation acquires its proper force. The cir- cumstances in which it was first made are " no longer a hindrance to conferring the completeness of the seal that which was lacking before being now supplied (suppleinento eius quod deerat accedente)." It makes a great difference " whether a person has never been baptized at all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, or whether he was somewhat defective at the time of receiving the baptism of water, which is the lesser thing, so long as it is certain that his faith is sincere and true at receiving the Baptism of the Spirit, which is undoubtedly the greater." What will the opponent say about those who have been baptized by bad-living, or by ignorant bishops, who deliver the Creed to their catechumens in- correctly ? Must they be baptized afresh ? " But, most excellent of men, let us attribute and concede to the heavenly powers their proper force . . . and since our salvation lies in the baptism of the Spirit, which is very often attached to the baptism of water, in case we ourselves (i.e. the bishops) are ad- ministering the baptism, let it be perfectly and duly assured by means of all the things which are pre- scribed, and let it be administered without separating any one part from any other ; or if, through necessity, it should have been administered by one of lower degree 128 " very often attache LI " to Baptism of Water. in the clergy, let us await the issue (i.e. of the circum- stances which called for such a baptism), that it may either be supplemented by ourselves, or reserved for the Lord to supplement. But if the baptism had been administered by aliens, let such correction be used as the matter admits of; because there is no Holy Ghost outside the Church, nor can there be sound faith either, among those in schism any more than among heretics ; and therefore, when they repent and receive correction, and their hearts have been purified through the teaching of the truth and through their own faith now set right, they ought to be met only with the spiritual Baptism, that is, with the Laying on of the Hand of the bishop, and with the administration of the Holy Spirit. ... If, contrary to the decree of the Apostles, we should presume to reduplicate the invo- cation of the name of Jesus, in our officious eagerness to give, or rather to superadd, Baptism, then, sup- posing the man who returns to the Church refuses to be baptized again, we shall be in the position of defrauding a man of the spiritual Baptism, whom we do not wish to see defrauded of the baptism of water." The writer then shews that the baptism of water is not a necessity for catechumens who are put to a martyr's death before they have an opportunity of receiving it. The double outflow from the side of Christ is a figure of the baptism of water and the baptism of blood, which are not to be regarded as two distinct thingSj but as divers forms of one and the same Baptism. " And since," he pursues, " we seem to have divided Three modes of Baptism. 129 all Baptism into three modes, let us come to the proof of our assertion, lest we should seem to have done this rashly, out of our own notions. For John says, teaching us in his Epistle concerning our Lord, 'This is He Who came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ ; not in the water only, but in the water and the blood : and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. 1 For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood ; and these three agree in one.' From this we may gather that the water confers the Spirit, and their own blood confers on men the Spirit, and the Spirit Himself also confers the Spirit. For seeing that the water is poured out, and the blood in like manner, and the Spirit also was poured out by the Lord 'upon all them that believed,' no doubt men can be baptized, as with water, and equally with their own blood, so also with the Holy Ghost." After a few good remarks upon the difference between the action of the Holy Ghost in this dispensa- tion and in the Old, when " He was not communicated widely, nor with a free outpouring, but was shared with others, or at His own will fell upon selected men," some of whom were unworthy of Him, but received Him for a special work and lost Him again, the author sums up his argument thus : "So, in those cases where the Holy Ghost is associated with a Baptism administered by men, He 1 S. Ambrose and S. Fulgentius, and they alone among Latin authorities, share the correct reading with the author of this treatise. It may be taken as an additional indication that the treatise was originally written in Greek. 1 30 Confirmation the Baptism of the Spirit. sometimes precedes it, and sometimes follows it ; or sometimes without Baptism being used at all, He falls upon them that believe ; thus giving us counsel, either in the first instance to observe all that belongs to Baptism (aut ex integro rite baptisma obseruare), or in case it has been bestowed by some one whoso- ever he may be in the name of Jesus, we ought to supplement it without infringing the most holy invocation of the name of Jesus Christ." The most salient feature in the doctrine of this able author is the confidence with which he dis- tinguishes between the baptism of water and the Baptism of the Spirit, and unhesitatingly pronounces the second to be the greater ; while he, as unhesi- tatingly, identifies the Baptism of the Spirit with the Laying on of Handd. If he says that sometimes the water confers the Spirit, his own language makes it plain that he meant on those occasions when the bishop himself baptized, in which cases the bishop would at once follow up the Baptism of water with " all those things which are prescribed." It may be noticed that he never explicitly speaks of Unction, though it is no doubt included in the general phrase just quoted. Baptism, though uncompleted by Con- firmation, is nevertheless sufficient to secure salvation, so long as the recipient is in the Catholic Church or desires to return to it ; and this, even if the formula be the defective formula which invokes only the name of Jesus Christ. Like his African opponents, he interprets the " birth of water and the Spirit " as equivalent to being "baptized with water and the Victorimis of Pettau. 1 3 1 Holy Ghost," and therefore regeneration, for him, comprises the baptismal and the Confirmation gifts. The three-quarters of a century which intervene between the Cyprianic age and the Nicene were not fruitful in theological authors, especially in the West ; and I do not know that there is anything more to be examined on this subject for a considerable length of time, except two canons of two famous Western Councils. 1 The Council of Elvira is now generally believed to have been held in the year 305 or 306, 2 at the close (so far as the West was concerned) of the last great persecution. In their seventy-seventh canon, the nineteen prelates assembled, among whom was the great Hosius of Cordova, agreed that " If any deacon governing a congregation (plebem) has baptized any persons without the bishop or presbyter, it will be necessary for the bishop to perfect them with his blessing (episcopus eos per 1 Perhaps an exception should also be made for the " Scholia upon the Apocalypse," said to be by'Victorinus, Bishop of Pettau, a Greek by birth, who suffered martyrdom in the persecution of Diocletian (about 305). It contains the following words (on Rev. v. 8) about the " new song "which could not be sung under the Old Testament dispensation, but which the Christian people sing. " It is a new thing that the Son of God should become man. It is a new thing that He should ascend into heaven with a body. It is a new thing to give to men the remission of sins ; new that men should be sealed with the Holy Ghost. It is a new thing to receive a priesthood of sacred service (tacrae obseruationis), and to await a kingdom of iufin ite promise." But the Scholia, though there is doubtless a genuine foundation of Victorinus' work in them, have been so much interpolated that it is impossible to say whose words these are. There is 110 internal reason why they should not be his (see Routh Rel. 8acr. iii. p. 481.) * See Dale Synod of Elvira p 44. 132 Council of Aries. benedictionem perficere debebif). But if they depart this life before, the faith with which a man believes will be sufficient to justify him (sub fide qua quia credidit poterit esse iustus)." This curious canon, which appears to indicate that no such " benediction " is necessary if the baptism has been performed by a presbyter, sets very clearly forth the unity of Baptism and its " perfecting." The Council seems to have regarded the deacon's baptism as purely provisional. It does not base the salvation of the recipient upon the sufficiency of such a baptism in itself, but upon the right dispositions with which it was received. His faith has saved him. It looks, therefore, as if these Fathers had held the opinion that not only the strictly confirming gift, but the full baptismal regeneration also, was not to be expected without the bishop's presence. 1 The Council of Aries was held in the year 314. It is the more interesting to us, inasmuch as the British Church was represented at it. In its eighth canon, this Council affirmed the position so strenuously asserted by the author of the De Rebaptismate, that in the case of a heretic who is found, on coming over, to have been baptized in the Threefold Name, " the hand only is to be laid upon him, that he may receive the Holy Ghost." * 1 The 38th canon of the same Council prescribes the same " per- fecting" by the bishop after baptism administered by a layman (per manus impositionem perfici). v An earlier canon (VI.), which is often quoted as applying to Con- firmation, refers, I believe, to the admission to the catechumenate. It contains nothing doctrinal. Hilary of Poitiers. 133 The next divine whose works are to pass in review is the great Hilary of Poitiers. Himself one of the freest of Christian thinkers, he not only inherited the large Gallican traditions in which East and West were mingled, but he added the experience of Greek thought gained by his long exile in the East. He was, besides, a student of the earlier Greek theo- logians, especially of Origen. Like others, S. Hilary speaks of the Holy Ghost as given in Baptism, the gift being, apparently, a part of Christian regeneration. He thus expounds the words of the Psalm, Eiuos eius inebria, multiplied genimina eius : " We ourselves are thus ' inebriated,' when we receive the Holy Ghost, Who is called 'the River.' Then, because there flow out from us various ' streams ' of graces, the prophet prays that the Lord would inebriate these streams, that, they being inebriated and flooded with the bestowal of the Divine gift, our ' produce ' may be ' multiplied.' . . . Undoubtedly, when we have been new-born (renatis) through the sacrament of Baptism, we experience the greatest joy, on feeling within us some beginnings of the Holy Ghost, when there comes to us the under- standing of mysteries, the knowledge of prophecy, the word of wisdom, the assurance of hope, the gifts (charismata) of healing, and the dominion over subject devils." * There is, however, an ambiguity about the Latin renatis, which would leave room for us to suppose 1 Tract, in Pealm. Ixiv. 15. 134 Baptism insufficient by itself. that the experienced which S. Hilary speaks is one which follows upon the new birth rather than con- stitutes an element in it. At any rate, other passages in his writings shew that he was aware of a difference between Baptism and the gift of the Spirit. Thus he says : "And perhaps, if a man imagines that in the sacrament of Baptism he has had restored to him that perfect purity of innocence which is worthy of eternal life, he may recollect that John the Baptist said, ' I indeed baptize you in the water of penitence ; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I ; He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and in fire;' he may remember also that the Lord Himself, after His Baptism by John, being yet in the body, spoke thus, ' I have yet to be baptized with another bap- tism.' So far as we can judge, therefore, the cleans- ing which gives that perfect purity remains in store for us even after the waters of Baptism (est etiam post baptismi aquas reposita), to sanctify us by the coming of the Holy Ghost, to melt us by the fire of judgment; it will purify us through the ravages of death from the contagion and fellowship of that which is dead ; it will wash by the self-devoted suffer- ing and faithful blood of martyrdom." 1 It is not necessary to conclude from these words that in S. Hilary's opinion Christian Baptism, apart from Confirmation, was only on a level with John's. The point is, that whatever the benefits of such Baptism might be, they required, in his view, a sub- 1 Tract, in Psalm, cxviii. Hit. iii. 5. The sequence of the baptismal rites. 135 sequent completion. He mentions several ways in which such a completion might be given, of which the first is the "coming of the Holy Ghost." 1 The Benedictine editors without hesitation consider him to mean by this the sacrament of Confirmation. That view is borne out by the words in which he applies the lesson of Christ's Baptism to us ; words which remind us of the language of his contemporary Optatus in dealing with the same subject : " Even the order of the heavenly secret is ex- pressed in Him. For when He is now baptized, and the avenues of heaven are thrown open, the Holy Ghost is sent forth, and is recognized in the visible aspect of a dove, and He is covered (perfunditur) with such an unction of His Father's love. There- upon a Voice from heaven speaks thus : ' Thou art My Son ; this day have I begotten Thee,' ... in order that we, by those things which were fully com- pleted in the case of Christ, might understand, that after the washing of water, and from the gates of heaven, the Holy Ghost flies down upon us also, and 1 8. Hilary is fond of dwelling upon these various kinds of bap- tisms. Thus, in his Comment, in Matt. ii. 4, he says that John, in declaring himself unworthy to bear Christ's shoes, contrasted his own office with that of the Apostles, and adds, " He indicates the time of our salvation and of judgment in saying of the Lord, ' He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire,' because for those who have been bap- tized in the Holy Ghost it remains to be consummated by the fire of judgment." Cf. Comment, in Matt. iv. 10, where the Apostles are the " salt," which is a compound of fire and water, " conferring immor- tality on all the bodies upon which their word was strewn, and, as John testified above, being perfected by the sacrament of water and fire " (nacramento aquae ignisque, i.e. the thing mystically meant by water and fire). 136 " The sacraments of Baptism and the Spirit." we are covered with the unction of the heavenly glory, and are by the Divine Voice adopting us made sons of God; for the truth, by things thus actually done, has prefigured a type of the sacrament which for us was to follow the same sequence." l Elsewhere, he appears to disjoin the gift of the Spirit from Holy Baptism, as if it were conferred by a different sacrament, when he says, speaking of the rain and of the sun with which all alike are favoured : " He calls us therefore to the imitation, as well as to the inheritance, of God, Who, by the coming of His Christ, bestows upon the good and upon the unjust, in the sacraments of Baptism and of the Spirit, both sun and rain." 2 The word sacramenta is, of course, not to be pressed as if it had acquired, in Hilary's time, its conventional meaning in modern language, nor does it even necessarily imply an external rite at all ; but it would be hard to imagine that Hilary would so markedly have compared Baptism to the sun, and the gift of the Spirit to the rain, and connected them with the plural " sacraments," if it had been his ordinary teaching that the Spirit was conveyed by the bap- tismal washing. That such was not his teaching has been already seen from the way in which he insists upon the observance of the right order of the sacra- ment, in which the gift comes after the washing. Thus far Hilary has not shewn us what other rites besides the washing were in his mind. He has 1 Comment, in Matt. ii. 6. 4 Ibid. iv. 27. The Laying on of the Hand. 137 only used phrases which, like ' the remaining things " of Cornelius, and the "all things which are prescribed" of the De Rebaptismate,_indic&ie a series of actions. It may be supposed, by knowledge derived from elsewhere, and from his language above cited con- cerning the Baptism of our Lord, that Unction was one of these actions; but he nowhere expressly speaks of it. Of the Laying on of Hands he speaks in direct connexion with the gift. The infants upon whom Christ laid hands were, in his view, a type of the Gentiles : "Who, the Lord says, were not to be forbidden, because of such is the kingdom of heaven. For the bestowal and gift of the Holy Ghost was to be vouch- safed to the Gentiles, without the work of the Law, by means of the Laying on of the Hand and prayer." 1 And lest it should seem as if Hilary was thinking only of a thing of the past, as if the Apostles them- selves alone thus communicated the gift to men, I may add a passage in which he speaks of them as forming the nucleus or starting-point from which was to develope a whole body or series of men charged with the same function. It occurs in a very curious comment upon our Lord's words to the Apostles whom He was sending forth, "The harvest truly is plen- teous, but the labourers are few." "The Lord," says S. Hilary, "pities the people, vexed by the prevailing violence of the unclean spirit, and sick under the burden of the Law, because He saw that they had as yet no shepherd, to restore to 1 Comment, in Matt. six. 3. 138 The Harvest of the Holy Ghost. them the protection of the Holy Ghost. For there was, indeed, a most plenteous fruit of that gift, but as yet not reaped by any. For His abundance exceeds the multitude of those who draw from it. How much soever He may be appropriated by all, He still has exuberant supplies of Himself to bestow. And because it would be useful that there should be many through whom He might be administered, He com- mands that the Lord of the harvest should be intreated to send forth many labourers into the harvest, that God, that is, would provide plenty of reapers, to gather in the gift of the Holy Ghost which was pre- paring ; for it is by means of prayer and supplication that this gift is poured out for us by God. And in order to shew that numbers of reapers were to be sent abroad into that harvest, issuing from these twelve Apostles first, He called them together and gave them power to cast out devils and to heal every infirmity. For by the force of this gift the disturber could be expelled and the infirm could be healed." * It is not easy to follow the writer's thought; but he probably means that there were multitudes ready to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and abundance of power in the Spirit to bring forth fruit in them all, if only labourers enough could be found to convey the Holy Spirit to them. This was to be the work of the Twelve, and of their associates and successors, who would communicate it, "by means of prayer and supplication," as he says elsewhere, " in the sacrament of the Spirit," " after the waters of Baptism." 1 Comment, in Matt. x. 2. Pacian on the Laver and the Chrism. 139 It may be added that for S. Hilary, as for others, the bishop was the regular minister of Baptism. He speaks of the Ethiopian eunuch as " anticipating with such impatient and eager desire the sacrament of Baptism that in his eagerness for his own salvation he demanded of a deacon the services belonging to the Apostle's office." l These passages may form a natural transition to the words in which S. Pacian, Bishop of Barcelona, whose long episcopate began before that of Hilary and ended later, argues against the Novatianist Sempronian, that the Apostolic powers of discipline are still the possession of the Church. "Was this [binding and loosing] allowed only to the Apostles ? Then to them only was it allowed to baptize, and to give the Holy Ghost, and to cleanse the sins of the Gentiles : for none but the Apostles were bidden to do any of this. But if in one and the same passage are given at once the loosing of bonds and the power of the sacrament, then either the whole has come down to us from the Apostles, whose exercise of the power was a precedent for us (ex apostolorum forma et potestate), or else the second of these things has no more been permitted by our charter than the first. ... If, therefore, the power both of the Laver and of the Chrism, which are greater, and far greater, spiritual gifts, has descended from them to the bishops, then the right of binding and loosing also came along with it." 2 It will be observed that the " power of the Laver " 1 Tract, in Psalm. Ixvii. 33. * Epist. i. 6. 140 On Novatianist Baptisms. is disjoined from that " of the Chrism " by S. Pacian's " both " and " and " (et lauacri et chrismatis) ; that they are described as constituting distinct " spiritual gifts " (charismata), each of which far exceeds in value the exercise of discipline ; and that the two stand over against " giving the Holy Ghost " and " cleansing the sins of the Gentiles " in inverted order. At the same time both are included under the head of " the sacra- ment;" and "to baptize" appears to suggest the " giving of the Spirit " first as forming part of it, and then as something distinct from it, so that the writer returns to it, and in order to give a clear notion of the value of baptizare by itself, adds et gentium peccata purgo^re. In another letter, Pacian makes the reception of the Spirit a part of the baptismal regeneration. The Novatianist defines the Church to be " the people born again of water and the Holy Ghost ; " to which the bishop replies : "Well, then; who has shut up the fountain of God ? who has carried off the Spirit ? Nay, with us is living water, even that which springs from Christ ; you, separated as you are from the perpetual fountain, by what means are you begotten ? the Holy Ghost, also, has not departed from the original Mother ; by what means has He arrived at you ? unless, perchance, He has followed a man who picks a quarrel, deserting all these many bishops, and not content with His con- secrated home, has become enamoured of the broken cistern of a counterfeit fountain. Whence has your laity the Spirit, not being sealed by an anointed "Sealing by an anointed priest!' 141 priest ? whence the water, having departed from the source? whence the making new (innouationem), having thrown away the cradle which peace, the attendant of the bridechamber, watches over ? " 1 In this passage, though Baptism and Unction represent for S. Pacian the birth of water and of the Spirit respectively, yet the baptismal water is not merely water; it is "living water" and it "springs from Christ." It has its own spiritual potency to convey, but that potency is not the gift of the Holy Ghost. Neither the living water, nor the Holy Ghost, are lacking to the Church ; S. Pacian's quoque forbids us to identify them. There is a separate act, subse- quent to the washing, on which the bestowal of the Holy Ghost depends, the "sealing by an anointed priest." 2 Yet the two things form inseparably part of one and the same regenerating sacrament. There is extant an interesting sermon of S. Pacian's on the sacrament of Baptism, in which the same ideas are similarly, but yet more clearly, expressed : " From this marriage is born the Christian people, the Spirit of the Lord coming down from above ; and the heavenly seed being cast upon the substance of our souls, and forthwith blended with it, we grow to the inward parts of our Mother, and being produced from her womb are quickened into life in Christ. 1 Epist. iii. 3. * It seems clear that the Novatianists with whom Pacian had to deal practised the rite of Unction. The clause would lose all its force, neither would it run parallel with the following clauses, if it were taken to mean that they made no attempt to seal at all. S. Pacian's point ia that theso who professed to seal them were not " anointed priests." 142 "The Laver, the Chrism, and the Bishop' 1 Whence the Apostle, 'The first Adam was made a living soul ; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit.' This is the way that Christ begets chil- dren in the Church by His priests, as the same Apostle says, 'I have begotten you to Christ.' And thus the seed of Christ, that is, the Spirit of God, sets in motion the new man in his mother's womb, brings him to birth at the font, and produces him by the hands of the priest, faith, however, being atten- dant of the bridechamber. For a man will not be held to have been engrafted into the Church with- out having believed, nor begotten of Christ without having himself received the Spirit. We must believe, therefore, that it is possible for us to be born. For so Philip says, ' If thou believest, thou canst.' Christ must be received, in order that He may beget ; because the Apostle John says thus, 'As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.' But these things cannot be otherwise fulfilled, except by the sacrament of the Laver and of the Chrism and of the Bishop. For by the Laver sins are purged; by the Chrism the Holy Ghost is poured upon us; and both these we gain by the hand and mouth of the Bishop ; and thus the whole man is born again and made new in Christ." * It would be difficult to express more clearly the belief that Baptism, and Unction, and presumably the Laying on of Hands, are component parts of a single whole, while each part has its own peculiar blessing to convey. The object of the sacrament of Baptism 1 Serm. de Baptismo 6. Zeno on the gift in Baptism. 143 is to regenerate men and make them sons of God. This, according to S. Pacian's teaching, they cannot be till they have received the Spirit. But the Spirit is not given by the Laver, of which the function is to wash away sins ; it is given by the Chrism, together with the hand and mouth of the bishop. When that has been received, Baptism is complete, and the man regenerate. S. Zeno, Bishop of Verona, was contemporary with Pacian and with Hilary. There is preserved a series of little allocutions of his, addressed to those who were approaching the font, in which he tells them what they are about to receive. Circumcision, he says on one such occasion, was a Divine mark indeed, but conveyed no grace to the receiver : the case is far otherwise with Christian Baptism : " In this sacrament we are registered not with a mark (signaculo) of the Holy Spirit, but with His very seal (signo)." l On another such occasion, he cries, in reference to the stripping of the candidate for Baptism : " Cast away then consistently and faithfully that old man of yours, with his filthy rags, for you shall soon step forth all new, all clothed in white, all rich with the gift of the Holy Ghost." 2 But the sacrament which should thus endow them consisted of more than the baptismal washing. It included also the mystical counterparts of those actions which followed upon the use of the bath in ordinary life. 1 Tract, i. 13. "' Ibid. ii. 31. 144 The Bath, the anointing, and the wiping. "Make haste, make haste, brethren, to so good a bath. Living water, tempered by the Holy Ghost and most pleasant fire, even now invites you with its delightful murmur. Even now the bathing-man awaits you, ready girt up, to furnish you with what you need for anointing, and what you need for wiping." l Of course the balneator is the bishop himself. He does not appear to dip the candidates with his own hands, but stands by, to administer the subsequent rites. It can hardly be doubted that the " wiping " (tersus) indicates a separate act from the washing and the anointing, which cannot well be anything but the Laying on of Hands. The exceedingly close connexion of the gift with Baptism is seen also in one of S. Zeno's little Easter sermons : " We must understand the springtime to be the sacred font, out of whose rich bed, begotten not by the western wind but by the Holy Ghost, and breathing Divine fragrance in their happy faith, each with a different gift (charismate) but all with one natal origin, are brought forth the bright flowers of the Church, our beloved ' Infantes.' " 2 But another Easter sermon, couched in the same strain, shews us that not only Confirmation, but (as was generally the custom) the First Communion also was administered to the " Infantes : " 1 Tract, ii. 35. The Ballerini aptly quote from Apul. Metam. i. p. 49, the words, Ilico lavacro trado ; quod unctui, quod tersui ipse praeministro. Ibid. ii. 44. The spiritual oil arid summer. 145 " To-day, for our ' Competentes ' (the highest class of candidates for Baptism) ends the winter of their sins. To-day they shall rejoice in the oil mingled with perfumes. Them also the smile of spring is about to bring out into varied flowers with varied gifts (charismate), when, having had the healthful water poured on them, and rejoicing in the harvest of a cloudless summer, they shall have begun to eat the new bread ; nor shall they have to wait, either, for the new wine, of the autumn, with which being filled and intoxicated they will glow with the blissful warmth of the Holy Ghost." : It appears as if S. Zeno meant us to think of the gift of the Spirit and the rites which convey it, when he speaks of the " harvest of a cloudless summer." At any rate, the sacred Unction is for him a prominent feature in Baptism, following after the washing which ends the " winter of sins." There is another passage in his works where he interprets the " oil " of Psalm xxiii. to " signify the gift of the Holy Ghost." 2 The great Ambrose of Milan was a contemporary, though a younger contemporary, of Zeno. Doubts have been freely expressed regarding the authorship of the two books included among his works under the titles of De Mysteriis and De Sacra/mentis the principal reason for such doubt being the pronounced character of the sacramental doctrine contained in them, especially on the subject of the Eucharist. 1 Tract, ii. 53. Sometimes a different punctuation of tho earlier clai'ses of the paragraph is adopted. * Ibid. ii. 11. L 146 Ambrose and the ' De Mysteriis* Modern Protestant scholars, however, have not felt bound, like earlier ones, to deny their genuineness; and assuredly the Eucharistic doctrine enunciated in them is not such as would have satisfied a divine of the Middle Ages. If Ambrose, like others of his time, speaks strongly of a " change " effected by consecra- tion in the Eucharistic elements, he appears also, like S. Cyril of Jerusalem, S. Gregory of Nyssa, and others, to imply something of the same kind with regard to the baptismal water. Neither need the close similarity of the two works compel us, while accepting the earlier, to reject the later. All readers of the Fathers know how boldly they repeat themselves in almost identical words. This is especially true of their spoken dis- courses; and both the works which I have named consist of instructions orally addressed to the newly baptized at Easter-tide, expounding the ceremonies which they had undergone. Having described in mystical language the actual Baptism and its pre- liminary rites, S. Ambrose says : " After this you went up to the bishop (sacerdotem). Consider what followed. Was it not that of which David speaks, 'Like the ointment upon the head, which ran down unto the beard, even unto Aaron's beard ' ? This is the ointment of which Solomon also says, ' Thy name is as ointment poured forth ; there- fore the virgins love Thee.' . . . How many renewed souls have this day come to love Thee, O Lord Jesu, saying, ' Draw us after Thee ; we run after the odour of Thy garments,' in order to breathe the odour of the Resurrection ! The reason why this is done, you may The Unction and the Seal. 147 understand, is because 'the eyes of the wise are in his head.' It flows down to the beard, because it signifies the grace of the prime of life; to Aaron's beard, that you may be made a chosen generation, sacerdotal, precious; for we all are anointed with spiritual grace unto the kingdom of God and unto the priesthood." * Then, after describing the washing of the feet, which formed part of the baptismal ceremonies of the time at Milan, though not at Rome, and the investing in white raiment, S. Ambrose continues the mystical interpretation of the Song of Solomon which he had already begun; and, quoting words of the Bride which evince " an eagerness to penetrate to inner mysteries," he says : " Wherefore the Lord Jesus Himself also, being invited by such zealous love, and by the beauty of comeliness and grace, because there remains no defile- ment of sins in those who are now washed, says to the Church, ' Place Me as a seal upon thy heart, as a signet upon thine arm.' That is to say, ' Thou art comely, My beloved; thou art all fair, thou lackest nothing ; ' now, ' place Me as a seal upon thy heart, in order that thy faith may gleam with the complete- ness of the sacrament (pleno fidgeat sacramento). Let thy works also shine and display the image of God, according to Whose image thou hast been made. Let thy love be undimmished by any persecution, incapable of being quenched by many waters, or drowned by the floods.' Remember, therefore, that ' De Myst. vi. 29, 30. 1 48 Gift of the sevenfold Spirit. you have received the spiritual seal, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, the Spirit of holy fear ; and keep what you have received. God the Father has sealed you ; Christ the Lord has confirmed you ; and given the earnest of the Spirit in your hearts, as you have learned by the lesson from the Apostle. Rich with these insignia, the people that have been washed proceed to the altar of Christ." * The whole concludes, after an instruction on the Eucharist, with the words : " Wherefore, having obtained all, let us know that we are regenerate ; nor let us say, ' How are we re- generate ? ' . . . If the Holy Ghost coming upon the Virgin wrought the conception of Christ and per- formed the office of generation, it is not to be doubted that coming upon the font, or upon those on whom Baptism is conferred (qui baptismum consequuntur), He works the truth of regeneration." 2 It must be owned that the meaning of the great prelate is not so clear to us as it no doubt was to those who first heard him. Scholars are not even agreed whether the second passage which I have quoted refers to the same act as the first, or to another, whether the " Seal " is to be identified with the " Ointment upon the head," or not. If we had only the De Mysteriis to judge by, it would be the simplest thing to identify the two. S. Ambrose seems, for the time, to be following not so much the course of the baptismal service, as that of the Song of Solomon 1 De M,jst. vii. 41, foil Ibid ix. 59. What did he mean by the Seal? 149 which brings him back to the mention of the washing away of sins, and thence to that of the Seal, which might well be the accompanying Unction again. But when we turn to the parallel account in the De Sacra- inentis (which, even if not composed by S. Ambrose, is at any rate an adaptation of the former work by an almost contemporary hand), it becomes clear that the Seal was not, in S. Ambrose's language, and in that of those who were near him, the Ointment upon the head. What else it was, is matter for conjecture rather than for certainty. Most people suppose that it was the special Unction of the forehead. If, how- ever, we may assume that the order of things at Milan under Ambrose was the same as that at Rome a very little later under Innocent, then, in all pro- bability, the Seal included both Unction of the fore- head and Imposition of Hands in one. The parallel passages in the De Sacramentis ran as follows : "You dipped, therefore, in the water, and you came to the bishop. What did he say to you ? 'Almighty God, the Father,' he said, 'Who hath regenerated thee with water and the Holy Ghost, and hath given unto thee the forgiveness of thy sins, Himself anoint thee unto eternal life.' See what you were. anointed to: 'unto eternal life,' he says. Do not prefer this life to that life ... Do not choose that to which you were not anointed, but choose that to which you were anointed, and prefer the eternal life to the temporal life. " x 1 De Sacrum, ii. 24. 150 The "perfecting after the font." These words conclude one discourse. The next discourse begins with recurring to the Unction here mentioned : "Yesterday we we're speaking about the font, the appearance of which is something like a sepulchre in shape, in which, believing in the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, we are received, and plunged, and rise up, that is our resurrection. But you receive the pvpov, that is, the ointment upon the head. Why upon the head ? Because the sense of the wise is in his head, says Solomon. For wisdom without grace is a cold thing; but when wisdom receives grace, then her work begins to be perfect. This is called regeneration. What is regeneration ? You find in the Acts of the Apostles that that verse which is said to be in the second Psalm, ' Thou art My Son ; this day have I begotten Thee,' appears to refer to the Resurrection. ... So also it is in Baptism. ... As that Resurrection was a regeneration, so this resurrection is a regeneration." l Here follows the description of the washing of the feet, and then the writer pursues : "Then follows the spiritual Seal which you have heard read about to-day: because after the font it remains for the perfecting to be done (post fontem superest ut perfectio fiat), when, in response to the bishop's invocation, the Holy Ghost is poured upon you, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, the Spirit of holy fear, seven powers, 1 De Sacram. iii. 1, 2. Ambrose on the three great rites \ 5 1 as it were, of the Spirit. And indeed all powers belong to the Spirit ; but these are, so to speak, the cardinal powers, the principal ones. . . . These are the seven powers conferred when you are sealed. For as the Apostle says, the wisdom of our God is ' manifold ; ' and as the wisdom of God is manifold, so is the Holy Ghost manifold, Who possesses diverse and varied powers. . . . After this, what follows ? You have to go to the altar." l We find, then, that, besides various suggestive ceremonies, S. Ambrose (assuming him to be the author of both books) recognised in Holy Baptism three grace- giving rites. The first, Baptism proper, conveyed the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to a new life. The second, Unction upon the head, consecrated the newly cleansed to royalty and priest- hood, and " anointed him to eternal life." It was also regarded as symbolizing, perhaps, in some way, conveying, the attractiveness of Christian graces, a thought which S. Austin may have derived from the bishop who baptized him. To the third, which corresponds to S. Zeno's tersus and to S. Pacian's sacramentum antistitis, and which in all probability consisted of the Laying on of Hands, together with Unction of the forehead, and certainly with invocation of the Holy Ghost, S. Ambrose ascribed a higher value. While the Unction was so closely connected with the Laver as to be almost lost in it, so that, after dwelling upon it at length, S. Ambrose proceeds with post fontem superest, as if he had spoken of 1 De Sacram. in. 8, foil. 152 which together constitute Baptism. nothing but the font, the third rite was to him the "Seal," and "Perfecting," and the "completeness of the sacrament." By means of it were given the sevenfold powers of the Spirit, and the earnest of the Spirit in the heart ; and the effect was to make faith gleam, and works shine, and the image of God appear, and love gain strength to endure all persecution. Yet all these things were parts of Baptism in a wider usage of the word; and although the baptismal washing, even before the Unction, could be said to confer regeneration, in the sense of a resurrection after the dying to sin, yet it looks as if S. Ambrose, to judge by the closing words of the De Mysteriis, included the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the baptized within his conception of the new birth. S. Ambrose does not speak very frequently else- where of the component elements of Baptism. But in one Epistle, to a man who had been converted in sickness and was recovering, he speaks of the marvels that were in store for him when he should advance to fuller faith and to the use of the sacraments. "These beginnings of faith are not the same as the mysteries and sacraments of riper age; for 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him,' as the Scripture has said. These are not those things which were announced concerning the glory that shall be, by the prophets to whom it was revealed, and which were preached by the saints 'with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, into Whom (in quern) the angels 11 The Sacraments of Baptism" 153 also desire to look,' as the Apostle Peter says. These are not the things in which the redemption of the world is contained, the remission of sins, the distribu- tion of graces, the participation of sacraments." * As soon as Bellicius has received these things, he will marvel, Ambrose assures him, at the privileges bestowed in the Holy Communion. No one who has followed our investigation thus far will hesitate to agree with the Benedictine editors, when they note that by these things "in which is contained the redemption of the world," S. Ambrose "appears to indicate the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist." A second letter to Bellicius applies to his case the miracle of the man born blind, whom our Lord touched, and sent to Siloam : " He touched him, like sunshine, and poured light into him : He filled him, like the bishop (sacerdos), in a figure of Baptism, with the mysteries of spiritual grace. He spat, that you might observe that the inward parts of Christ are light. And truly sight is given to him who is cleansed by the inward things of Christ. His spittle washes ; His word washes, as you read, ' Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.' His making clay and anointing the eyes of the blind man, what does it mean, but that you should understand that He Who restored the man to health by anointing him with clay was the same Who fashioned man of the clay; and that this flesh of clay of ours, by means of the 1 Epist. lix. 4. 1 54 Gaudentius of Brescia. sacraments of Baptism, receives the light of eternal life." 1 What has been said regarding a similar expression of S. Hilary's applies here also. The phrase " sacra- ments of Baptism " must not be pressed to prove that S. Ambrose regarded Confirmation (which is probably alluded to in the " anointing ") as a sacrament in the modern sense. He may perhaps have included in the term the washing of the feet and other rites of a purely symbolical nature. But it shews that Baptism meant to him more than the single act of washing, and that he believed the benefit of spiritual sight to be conveyed by the whole scries of acts, and not by the first alone. S. Gaudentius, Bishop of Brescia, was the most distinguished of the younger prelates whom Ambrose gathered round him. He was consecrated by S. Ambrose. He was a friend and correspondent of S. Chrysostom, whom he had visited at Antioch, while both were only presbyters. To him Rufinus dedicated one of his translations (for no other Gau- dentius suits the description), in terms of the highest respect for his accomplishments, as well as for his graces. He was still alive in the year 406, and probably for several years after. One of his extant sermons is on the first miracle of our Lord. By a not uncommon confusion of thought, he fails to observe the difference between the symbolism of water when used for washing and of water when used for drinking. The change of 1 Epist. Ixxx. 5, 6. The Spirit and the water of Baptism. 155 the water into wine suggests to him the gift of the Spirit in Baptism. Christ, he says mystically, would not turn the water into wine before the right moment was come "Until, after His own Resurrection, He should pass over to the Gentiles, to give them Himself as the bread of life, and, by means of the water of Baptism, to make them drink the cup of the Holy Spirit." A little further on : " The blessed Apostles, fulfilling the duty of faith- ful servants, filled the waterpots of the believing nations with the water of reverend Baptism, and the Lord Jesus by His unseen power turned this water into wine, so that those who were baptized by them immediately testified the savour of the Divine Spirit working in them by the sudden grace of tongues." 2 Later on, he gives a different turn to his inter- pretation of the water : "Therefore, after that the Lord Jesus has made wine in us out of water, in order to shew, as the Apostle says, the riches of His glory towards the vessels of mercy, and has seasoned all the baptized with the savour of the Holy Ghost, turning the water of the letter of the law in the hearts of believers into spiritual wisdom, then . . . the Apostles draw from the waterpots of the baptized Gentiles both the spiritual savour and the spiritual grace of Gospel force the savour consisting in faith, the grace of 1 Serm. ix. 284. * Ibid. 288. 156 Unction and " the gift of grace? colour in work ; the one of which is perceived by the nostril, the other by the eye." l This cannot be called a perspicuous statement of baptismal doctrine, but it may be gathered that S. Gaudentius felt that Baptism was not only an ex- ternal application of water, but also the means of conveying an internal draught of the Spirit, pro- ductive, even now, of faith and good works, and, in old days, of miraculous utterance. As, however, we nowhere read in the New Testament of these miraculous utterances being vouchsafed in Baptism unaccompanied by the Laying on of Hands, we cannot suppose that S. Gaudentius meant to teach that the sacramental water alone brought all these benefits, but that the water stands for the whole baptismal sacrament. It is, therefore, not surprising that in another sermon he should specially connect the " gift of grace " with Unction : " All we, therefore, to whom, being gathered from among sinners, it has been vouchsafed to drink the faith of Christ, being made partakers of the altar and having obtained the gift of grace (donum charis- mntis), may well praise the things which God bestows with the voice of exultation and confession, saying, 'Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that trouble me; Thou hast anointed my head with oil.' " 2 Rufinus, who has already been mentioned as an admirer of Gaudentius, belonged by Baptism to the distinguished Church of Aquileia, in which also his 1 Serm. 291. Ibid. xix. 367. Rufinus and Peter Chrysologus. 157 last years were spent. His remarks upon the title of the twenty-sixth Psalm prii^squam liniretur resembling those of S. Austin, which I have already quoted, 1 shew that the traditional doctrine of Aquileia was not different from that of Milan, and of Verona, and of Brescia, "The faithful," he says, "are twice anointed (inunguntur) ; the first time, in their Baptism, when they receive the pledge of the Spirit (in baptismo, quando accipiunt piyniLS Spiritus), which anointing is a foreshowing, and as it were an earnest, of the anointing that is to be ; and the second, after this life is ended." 2 The Anointing is "in Baptism," but its grace is distinct and peculiar to itself. It is a slight departure from chronological order, but it has the advantage of maintaining local con- nexion, to place next the names of two of the most celebrated preachers of the fifth century S. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop of Ravenna, who died A.D. 454, and S. Maximus, Bishop of Turin, who died a few years later. Preaching on the feast of the Epiphany, that is, of Christ's Baptism, Peter says : "To-day the Holy Ghost floats over the waters in the form of a dove, in order that, as the dove of Noe had announced the departure of the world's deluge, so by that sign it might be known that the world's lung shipwreck was at an end, yet not, like that former dove, to carry a twig of the olive, but He 1 See p. 87. * Comment, in Ptahn. xxvi. tit. 158 Maximus of Tiirin. pours the entire fatness of the chrism upon the head of the new Parent, to fulfil that which the prophet foretold, ' Therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.' " * The allusiveness of this passage becomes clearer on comparing another sermon, in which S. Peter expounds the Parable of the Unjust Steward and his debtors : " The Jew owed the oil, which had been lent him under the bond of the Law to anoint kings, prophets, and priests for a type of the Christian Chrism, until he should come to that Chief of kings and prophets and priests, to Whom was to be paid up, and on Whom was to be poured, the entire hundredfold plenitude of the chrism." a This is, perhaps, the earliest Western recognition that by the baptismal Unction the Christian is made prophet, as well as priest and king. S. Maximus gives us three sermons (the genuine- ness of which, however, is doubtful) of the same kind as those of S. Ambrose above quoted, in which he expounds the successive rites of Baptism. " Hitherto we have spoken of the mysteries which are celebrated either before the sacrament of Baptism, or in the Baptism itself. Now we are to treat of those which, by a holy institution, are performed as a complement upon those who have already been baptized (in iam baptizatis complentur). For Bap- tism having been accomplished, we pour over your head the Chrism, that is, the oil of sanctincation 1 Serm. clx. * Serm. cxxvi. The royal and priestly anointing. 159 (consecration), by which is signified that the Lord bestows upon the baptized the royal and the priestly dignity. For in the Old Testament, those who were chosen to the priesthood or the kingship were anointed with holy oil and the unction of the head ; the one received from God power to reign, the other to offer sacrifices : as we read that holy David and the other kings were anointed by the prophets, and were changed by the oil of sanctification from private persons into kings : as we read also that holy Aaron was anointed by Moses, and was consecrated by the holy oil from a layman into a priest of God, whence also we sing in the Psalm, ' Like the ointment upon the head, that ran down unto the beard, even unto Aaron's beard.' But that oil in the Old Testament conferred a temporal kingship, a temporal priesthood; for in it, life and its ministry was ended by the course of a few years. But this Chrism, that is, this Unction which has been put on you, has conferred the dignity of that priesthood, which, when once it has been conferred, is never to be closed. What we have said is marvellous, no doubt, that you, by that Chrism, have obtained the kingdom and priesthood of the future glory; but it is not I, it is the Apostle Peter, nay, through Peter, Christ Himself declares that this dignity has been conferred upon you. For he speaks thus to the faithful, that is, to those who have been washed with Baptism and consecrated with Chrism, ' Ye are a royal and priestly race.' " J Shortly after, Maximus adds this warning : 1 Tract, Hi. 1 60 Confirmation kept apart from Baptism. " Consider, then, the honour which you have obtained in this mystery, and beware lest you, who, after your sins, have through Baptism been made sons of the kingdom, by sinning again (which God forbid) should choose to be made sons of hell." From the manner in which the warning comes in, Maximus appears to include the consecrating Unction under the general title of that Baptism which makes men sons of the kingdom. At any rate, the words quoted immediately before shew that he does not consider a man to deserve to be reckoned among " the faithful " without it. He does not, however, enter upon the actual nature of the gift given in Unction, contenting himself with the mention of the rights which it confers. It is, however, a far more remarkable point that in his account of Holy Baptism he stops short at the Unction of the head, appearing thereby to treat the Imposition of Hands, or the " Seal " of S. Ambrose (which he cannot but have known), as normally a distinct thing. In this respect Maximus if, indeed, Maximus is the author stands alone till late in the eighth century. Returning back some eighty or ninety years, to a contemporary of Rutinus, we find a few notes on the subject under discussion in the commentaries of the " Ambrosian " Hilary. This Hilary wrote during the pontificate of Damasus (366-384), and from the language which he uses concerning him, it is natural to suppose that he belonged to the Roman Church. Bishop Lightfoot, while distinguishing him from the Roman deacon of that name who bec.uue The Roman Hilary on Baptism. 161 henchman to Lucifer of Cagliari, speaks of him as " the Roman Hilary." * The first of these notes teaches that the Holy Spirit is given in Baptism; it teaches also, what we shall soon meet with again in a greater Roman author, that the gift so given may be forfeited and yet recovered. "Although they [the Corinthians] had already been baptized, and had received the Holy Ghost, yet, because after Baptism they had returned directly to the old man which they had renounced, they are called carnal. For the Holy Ghost only remains in the man into whom He has poured Himself, on condition that the man remains true to his regeneration (in proposito regenerationis) ; otherwise, He departs ; yet in such a manner that if the man reforms himself, He returns to him. For He is ever ready for that which is good, and loves penitence." 2 Hilary had no better reason for thinking that the Spirit had departed from the Corinthians, than Irenaeus had for thinking that they had never received Him. S. Paul's language expressly contradicts both theories. But he is so far more in agreement with the Epistle on which he is commenting, that he recognises that they had once received the gift. It is not easy to determine whether the "and" between the first two verbs is one of identity or of differentiation, whether to Hilary the receiving of the Holy Ghost expresses the inner contents of Baptism, or whether it was something additional, though connected. Either 1 Philippians p. 101, ed. 2. On 1 Cor. iii. 1. M 1 62 " The Holy Ghost given after Baptism'" would be in accordance with ancient teaching, though the word " Baptism " would stand for different actions in the two cases. But commenting on a later verse, Hilary shews that by Baptism he understood two blessings to be conveyed, forgiveness and the Holy Ghost, and that the latter (at any rate at the time spoken of) was ordinarily given by Imposition of Hands, which thus forms a part of Baptism. When Baptism is then spoken of separately, the remission of sins falls to its share in the work of grace. " To ' plant ' is to preach the Gospel and attract to the faith ; to ' water ' is to baptize with the customary words ; but to forgive sins, and to bestow the Spirit, belongs to God alone. If it is God, therefore, Who gives the saving effect, no glory belongs to man in the matter. For we know that both the Holy Ghost has been given by God without the Imposition of the Hand, and that one not baptized has obtained the remission of sins. Was not that man invisibly baptized, when he obtained the gift of Baptism ? " 1 If, as is most probable, Hilary refers to the case of Cornelius, then the Holy Ghost is "the gift of Baptism." Yet the Holy Ghost was not, in Hilary's view, the gift of Baptism proper. Even if this could not be clearly gathered from the comment just con- sidered, he speaks of the gift elsewhere as a blessing subsequent to Baptism. He describes the Ephesians as " having the seal of redemption and of the future inheritance, even the Holy Ghost given after Baptism (datwm post baptismum)." a 1 On verse 6. * On Eph. i. 13. Jerome on regeneration. 163 The comment of the contemporary S. Jerome upon the same passage of the Epistle to the Ephesians shews that he regarded the gift of the Spirit as an essential part of regeneration, if not actually consti- tuting it. S. Jerome was at one time confidential secretary to Damasus, Bishop of Rome, already named; and although he was brought into close contact with all the great theological movements of his time, he represents most completely the Roman Church of his day, and the school to which Hilary belonged. "He who has heard the word of the truth, and has believed in it, is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. For there are many who have heard, and because they remain without believing have by no means obtained the seal of the Holy Spirit. ... It is the seal of God ; so that, as the first man was created after the image and similitude of God, so in the second re-generation, whosoever has obtained the Holy Ghost, is sealed (signetur, i.e. stamped) by Him, and receives the outline of his Creator." 1 Perhaps no other Western Father comes so near as S. Jerome to saying that this inestimable gift is conveyed by the baptismal washing. In his youthful dialogue directed against the over-orthodox schism of the Luciferians, he thus developes with great force the argument of S. Cyprian (though for an opposite pur- pose) against those who would maintain the validity of heretical Baptism while denying to heretics the power of transmitting the Holy Ghost. "I," says the follower of Lucifer, "receive the 1 Comment, in Eph. i. 13 (vol. iv. p. 332, Martianay). 164 No Baptism without "having" the Spirit. repentant layman by Imposition of the Hand and invocation of the Holy Ghost, knowing that heretics cannot possibly confer the Holy Ghost." To which the orthodox disputant replies : " When a man, baptized in the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, becomes a temple of the Lord, when the old fabric is broken up and a new fane of the Trinity is built, how can you say that among the Arians there can be forgiveness of sins, without the coming of the Holy Ghost ? How is a soul puri- fied from its old defilements, which has not the Holy Ghost ? Water does not wash the soul ; it has first to be itself washed by the Spirit, in order that it may spiritually wash others. 'The Spirit of the Lord,' says Moses, 'moved upon the face of the waters.' From which it is clear that there is no Baptism with- out the Holy Spirit. The Jewish pool of Bethsaida could not heal the bodily limbs that were maimed, except by the coming of an angel ; and you bring me a soul washed clean by mere water, as if out of a bath ! Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who, instead of being cleansed by the washing, rather by His washing cleansed all waters, directly He raised His head from the stream, received the Holy Ghost, not because He was ever without the Holy Ghost, for He was born in flesh by the Holy Ghost, but in order that we might be shewn that that is true Baptism to which the Holy Ghost comes (quo Spiritus sanctus adueniat). Therefore if the Arian cannot give the Holy Ghost, he cannot even baptize, because it is no Baptism of the Church without the Holy Ghost. But Does Jerome make any difference 165 you, when you receive one who has been baptized by him, and then invoke the Holy Ghost, ought rather either to baptize him, because without the Holy Ghost he could not have been baptized ; or if he has been baptized in the Spirit, leave off invoking upon him the Spirit, Whom he received at the time of his Baptism (tune quum baptizaretur)." 1 This passage discloses that the writer had hardly felt much difference between the presence and opera- tion of the Holy Ghost in the remission of sins and that further gift which is described as His indwelling. It must be acknowledged that he treats the " coming " of the Holy Ghost almost as if it were the invisible grace corresponding to the outward act of Baptism. The Holy Ghost moves over the waters ; He cleanses them ; He " comes to " the Baptism, which without Him would be no Baptism; the forgiveness of sins depends upon "having" Him. All this is true; but Jerome seems to teach that it amounts to that " con- ferring " of the Holy Ghost, which his opponent con- nects with the Imposition of the Hand and Invocation. Jerome might have learned better from the great African divine whose language he was using. Yet even Jerome's words leave room to think that in his opinion, although Baptism without the gift would be a mere form, yet the gift rather accompanied Baptism than was actually conveyed by it. Our Lord, he says, received the Holy Ghost directly after Baptism, not exactly by it ; and he makes that Bap- tism a pattern for ours. When he says that if 1 Adv. Lucifer, (vol. iv. p. 292). 1 66 between Baptism and the gift of the Spirit ? the Arian cannot give the Holy Ghost, he "can- not even baptize" (ne baptizare quidem potest), he appears to feel some distinction between the two things, making Baptism a step towards the other. His statement that that alone is true Baptism " to which the Holy Ghost comes" is not so strong as that of the De Rebaptismate, that "only that Bap- tism can avail in which the Holy Ghost also may be (iviesse);" yet the author of that treatise by no means ascribes the gift to the application of the sacramental water. Jerome argues that if the Arian could convey any spiritual benefit at all, the person baptized by him ought not, on his reception into the Church, to be confirmed, inasmuch as he must have received the Spirit "at the time of his Baptism;" but he is speaking of persons baptized by Arian bishops, and therefore confirmed by them also " at the time of their Baptism." It was Jerome's contention that all their episcopal acts, including Ordinations, were unaffected by their heresy, and therefore that that Confirmation was valid, as well as the Baptism of which it formed part. What S. Jerome here says, therefore, about the gift of the Spirit in Baptism does not amount to much more than what we have already seen expressed by others. And in a subsequent passage of the same dialogue, he distinctly allows that as a rule the gift of the Spirit was only given by the episcopal act of Confirmation, although he says that there is no reason to think this a law of necessity, but rather a matter of order and propriety. Confirmation an universal usage, 167 "Do you not know," urges the Luciferian, "that this is the custom of the Churches, that hands should afterwards be laid upon the baptized, and the Holy Ghost thus invoked upon them ? Do you demand where it is written? In the Acts of the Apostles. Even if there were not the authority of the Scripture to uphold the custom, the consent of the entire world to this view would have the force of a command. . . . So you perceive that we follow the usage of the Church, although it is admitted that the man has already been baptized before the Spirit is called upon." The orthodox replies : "I do not deny that this is the usage of the Churches, that the bishop should make excursions to those who have been baptized a long way off in the smaller towns by presbyters and deacons, to lay his hand upon them for the invoking of the Holy Ghost. But ... if the bishop lays on his hand, he lays it upon those who have been baptized in the right faith. . . . But how shall the Arian . . . receive from the Church the Holy Ghost, when as yet he has not even obtained the remission of his sins ? The Holy Ghost does not take up His abode in any but a pure faith ; nor is He made an indweller of a temple which has not true faith for its minister. If at this point you ask, why a man baptized in the Church does not receive the Holy Ghost except by the hands of the bishop, when we assert that He is bestowed in true Baptism (quare in ecclesia baptizatus nisi per manus episcopi non accipiat Spiritum sancttvm quern, nos asserimus in uero baptismate tribui), learn that we 1 68 but a matter of order, not necessity. traditionally derive the practice from the authoritative fact, that it was upon the Apostles that the Holy Ghost, after the Lord's Ascension, came down. And in many other passages we find that the same thing took place, more for the honouring of the bishop's office than by any law of necessity (ad honoretn potius sacerdotii quam ad legem necessitatis). Other- wise, if the Holy Ghost only flows down at the bishop's imprecation, we must bewail those who having been baptized in their beds, or in villages, or in the more remote places, have fallen asleep before they were visited by the bishops. The safety of the Church depends upon the dignity of her chief priest ; and if there be not some peculiar power given to him, surpassing that of all others, there will be as many schisms among the Churches as there are priests. So it comes about that neither the presbyter nor the deacon have the right to baptize, without the Chrism and the command of the bishop. And this, though only in case of necessity and compulsion, we are aware is frequently allowed also to laymen. For as a man receives, so can he also give." * The dialogue from which these extracts come, took place or was composed at Antioch; and the name of the Luciferian, Helladius, would be suitable to an Oriental. If there had been any material difference of doctrine or practice between East and West upon the subject, it would probably have been 1 Adv. Lucifer, vol. iv. pp. 294, 295. It would appear as if a sen- tence had dropped out before, ' And in many other passages,' perhaps describing the Confirmation at Samaria. His "Baptism" includes Unction. 169 mentioned by one or other of the disputants. Both are agreed that the Laying on of Hands after Bap- tism is an universal practice, derived from Apostolic times, and that it is the usual method of receiving the Holy Spirit. It would, indeed, seem as if S. Jerome restricted the practice to those who had been baptized without the presence of the bishop, and as if the Laying on of Hands were not one of the baptismal ceremonies when the bishop himself baptized. This, however, is not quite certainly his meaning ; for he is taking the case which, in Catholic practice, most nearly resembled the case of baptized Arians admitted to Lucifer's communion by Imposi- tion of Hands. But however that may be, he clearly acknowledges that in these cases the gift of the Holy Ghost is, as a rule, only given by the Laying on of Hands, although if the Laying on of Hands is unattainable for them, the Baptism which they have received is a sufficient channel for the. grace. It must, at the same time, be observed, that that Baptism which they have received at the hands of presbyter or deacon, by which they obtained some " down-flow " of the Holy Ghost, is a Baptism which includes Unction, and, as it appears, Unction with chrism prepared by the bishop and applied at his bidding. But S. Jerome's defective apprehension of the difference between the baptismal operation of the Holy Spirit and the Confirmation gift brings him into a difficulty from which he suggests no means of escape. He affirms that the power of bestowing the gift rests with the bishop, and that the safety of the 1 70 The progressive reception of the Spirit. Church depends upon the bishop's being endowed with powers which none share with him ; and yet he supposes that the gift must be bestowed when presbyters and deacons baptize, because otherwise the persons baptized by them are to be bewailed, that is, are lost. A clearer view of the difference between the two modes of grace, such as he might have learned from S. Cyprian, or from S. Cyprian's opponent either, would have made the problem easier to solve. That sometimes such a view was very near him is seen in another well-known passage, where, after the manner of the Greek Fathers, he describes the profectus apostolicus, the progress by which the Apostles passed from a lesser to a greater fulness of the gift. The question propounded to him is, how the Lord could give the Holy Spirit on the night of His Resurrection, and yet the Holy Spirit only came seven weeks later. "The solution of this question is very easy, if, following the teaching of the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. xii. 4), we recognise that there is a diversity of gifts (gratias) of the Holy Spirit. . . . On the first day of the Resurrection, therefore, they received a gift (gratiam) of the Holy Spirit, by which they could remit sins, and baptize, and make men sons of God, and impart the Spirit of adoption to believers. . . . But on the day of Pentecost, something larger was promised to them, that they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost, and be endued with power from on high, by which they should preach the Gospel of The Spirit given even before Baptism. 171 Christ to all nations, . . . that they should have the working of miracles, and, as they were to preach to many nations, should receive divers kinds of tongues. ... It is the Apostolic progress. . . . But I," adds S. Jerome, " assert boldly and with the utmost freedom of speech that from the moment when the Apostles first believed the Lord, they always had the Holy Ghost; and that they could not have wrought signs without a gift (gratia) of the Holy Ghost, though according to measure and degree. Therefore the Saviour cried in the temple, saying, ' He that thirsteth, let him come unto Me, and drink. This spake He of the Spirit, Which they that believed on Him should afterwards receive ; ' and in the same place it adds, 'For the Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified ; ' not because the Spirit was not yet, . . . but because He was in the Lord, and did not as yet abide fully in the Apostles." * And in commenting upon the great prophecy of Joel, he shews a clear appreciation of the difference between receiving the Holy Spirit, and receiving any specific tokens of His presence : " Not every one who has received the Holy Ghost, will necessarily have also a spiritual gift (gratiam spiritalem) ; but he will obtain through the ' pouring out ' of the Holy Ghost a diversity of gifts (diuersas gratias). Some will obtain prophecy, like the sons and daughters, who are of greater worth; some dreams, like the old men now well stricken in years ; 1 Ad Hedib. quaest. ix. 172 The various kinds of anointing. some visions, like the young men who have overcome the wicked one. But the servants and handmaidens, who still have the spirit of fear and not of love (because perfect love casteth out fear), will not have prophecy, or dreams, or visions ; but being contented with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, they will possess but the gift (gratiam) of faith and of salvation." * It has already been seen that S. Jerome included Unction in his view of Baptism, even when adminis- tered by the second and third orders of the ministry. Another passage of his works will shew what value he attached to this Unction ; and while it will give another indication of his sense of a progress in the possession of the Spirit, it will also shew that he agreed with his senior contemporary, the commen- tator Hilary, in considering the loss of the baptismal gift to be not an irreparable loss. " First let us see how many kinds of ' Anointeds ' there are. ... In the Old Testament, the patriarchs are described as 'Anointeds' (Ps. cv. 14). ... In Exodus also a priestly chrism is prepared, and after- wards the priests in Leviticus are recorded to have been anointed with it. There is also another oint- ment with which the kings were anointed to the kingdom. . . . There is a prophetic ointment, with which Elias is bidden to anoint Elisaeus prophet. And above all kinds of ointments is that spiritual ointment which is called the ' oil of gladness,' with which the Saviour is anointed, and addressed thus, 1 Vol. iii. p. 1359. The gift of the Spirit can be 1 73 'Therefore hath God, even Thy God, anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.' The 'fellows' I take to be those to whom John also speaks, ' And ye have an Unction from the Holy One.' . . . And lest perchance those who have lost their baptismal Chrism (chrisma baptismi) should despair of recovering the Chrism, it is written in Leviticus, that when the leper, cast out of the camp, comes to the priest, and his leprosy is found to be cleansed, the priest should pour oil into his own left hand, and dipping his finger seven times in the oil should sprinkle it before the Lord, and should touch with the same oil the ear of him who had been a leper, and his right hand, and his right foot, and should pour what remains of the oil wholly upon his head ; and when all these things are duly accom- plished, that he should then offer a burnt offering for him, and the man should be called an anointed of God. I desire to say a thing ; but I am afraid lest I should give occasion of falling to the careless ; it is that in the Holy Scriptures the same man is found to be frequently anointed. Thus David was thrice anointed. But we must not understand this to refer to the man who has sinned and is anointed again (for it is enough for the leper that after losing his first ointment he should be anointed a second time), but rather to him who advances day by day, and his Unction continually increases, and from the oil of the leper he passes to the oil of the people and of the holy nation, and from the oil of the people he comes to the oil of the priests, and from the priests he goes 174 forfeited and afterwards recovered. on to the chrism of the high priest, yes, and from the high priest to the king ; from the king and the patriarchs he proceeds to the Christ, and is anointed with the oil of gladness, with which whosoever has been anointed is made one Spirit with God, and where the Father and the Son are, there he is also. But this is a rare thing, and the aspiration of believers." 1 That the Spirit can be forfeited and recovered is implied again when the Luciferian, in the dialogue already quoted, describes in the following terms the discipline of penance, with which his interlocutor finds no fault : " The bishop (sacerdos) offers the layman's offering for him, lays his hand upon him as his subject (imponit manum subiecto), invokes the return of the Holy Spirit (reditum sancti Spiritus inuocat) ; and so, the prayers of the people having been bidden, he reconciles to the altar him who had been delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit might be saved." 2 The teaching of S. Jerome on the subject of our inquiry may be summed up thus. He appears to have felt more markedly than others of his time the oneness of the various gifts given in Baptism con- sidered as a whole, and, perhaps, the pre-eminence of the sacramental Washing amongst the rites which constituted it. While rightly perceiving that there are many degrees and diversities in the mode of the Holy Ghost's action upon men, it was his bent 1 Comment, in Abac. iii. p. 1632. * Adv. Lucif. p. 291. Summary of Jerome's teaching. 175 rather to minimise than to enhance the difference between them. He not only insists that the remission of sins and regeneration, which are the gifts of Baptism proper, come by " having " the Holy Ghost, but he also insists that still earlier good motions come from " having " Him. Thus, while the actual words which he uses are true, and such as any believer in the grace of the Holy Spirit must accept, he is driven to make as little as possible of those strong expressions of the Scriptures, which teach that in view of the Pentecostal gift, and in view of the same gift bestowed by the Laying on of Hands, believers before that date, or prior to that rite, could be said not to have received the Holy Ghost. It is, perhaps, of a piece with this tendency, that S. Jerome regards (in common with other Roman teachers of his time) the gift of the Spirit in Baptism as capable of being regained through penitence, if lost through heresy or other sin. Yet, in order rightly to appreciate his position, it must be remembered that he describes the blessing thus lost and regained not as baptismi aqua, but as baptismi chrisma. The passage in which the words occur is, no doubt, a mystical passage, and it is quite possible that the author did not intend them to mean the actual administration of the Chrism at the time of Baptism, but rather the inward unction of the Spirit accompanying the baptismal sacrament. But it is at least significant that when he speaks of this gift as lost and recovered, he by no means advo- cates a rebaptism of the penitent. The lost gift returns by the penitential Laying on of Hands and 1 76 Baptism the lay mans priesthood. invocation. Even to Jerome, therefore, the gift must have been, instinctively if not consciously, something superadded upon Baptism proper, rather than the grace of such Baptism itself. It tells in the same direction, that he admits that persons baptized by priests and deacons, although anointed with Chrism prepared by the bishop and at his bidding, are not reckoned to have obtained the Holy Ghost without having been brought to receive his Laying on of Hands, unless, indeed, they should die without an opportunity of receiving it ; and this, although speculatively it might have been conceived of otherwise, Jerome considers to be practically necessary, because without it there would be no sufficient sanction for the episcopal authority, upon which, he says, the safety of the Church depends. At the same time, he appears to include even this deferred Laying on of Hands in " true Baptism," and does not regard it as an independent thing. 1 The letters of early Roman bishops are always liable to suspicion, and we may safely reject those decrees of Melchiades, Silvester, Eusebius, and Da- masus, which influenced the teaching and practice of the Middle Ages with regard to Confirmation, and 1 His language about the Chrism, in the Commentary on Habakkuk above cited, must be borne in mind when we use hia famous expres- sion sacerdotium laid, id est, baptisma (adv. Lucif. p. 290). Jerome was not called upon to say whether a man could claim this sacerdotium on the ground of Baptism alone, for he appears not to have known that such baptisms could ever take place. He clearly (like others) regarded the. baptismi chrisma as conveying it; but he preferred to regard Baptism as a single whole, rather than 'to resolve it into its several parts. Sirice on the reception of heretics. 177 upon some of which even later authors have unwarily relied. But there are a few letters of Roman prelates of the fourth and fifth centuries, bearing upon the subject, which do not deserve to be treated as for- geries. They are, naturally, regulative in their inten- tion, giving directions about the reception of heretics, the method and the minister of Confirmation, and the like ; but incidentally they throw light upon the doctrinal value attached to the acts. The first of these letters is one of Sirice> who succeeded on the death of Damasus (December, A.D. 384). The letter, indeed, announces the writer's suc- cession, and replies to one which Himerius, Bishop of Tarragona, had written to Damasus. Sirice com- plains that, through the arbitrary self-will of his brother-bishops, there has arisen on some points con- nected with Baptism " a censurable and much-to-be- corrected confusion " (improbabilis et emendanda con- fusio), an assertion which soon began to prove only too true with regard to the second part of that Sacra- ment, as the frequent decrees of Popes and Western Councils in the next two centuries testify. The special point which Sirice censures is that a Nicene Canon, and the injunctions based upon it " by my pre- decessor of revered memory, Liberius," had not been strictly observed, which directed that converts from Arianism should not be rebaptized, but should be attached to the Catholic Communion "by means of invocation of the sevenfold Spirit only, by Impo- sition of the bishop's Hand " (per inuocationem solam aeptiformis Spiritus, episcopalis manus impositione). 178 Innocent I. on the same. This custom, says Sirice, is observed throughout all the East and West. It is but a dispute about words when it is debated whether such an act is or is not Confirmation. The "sevenfold Spirit" is the Con- firmation gift. 1 A letter of Innocent I, who succeeded in A.D. 402, shews as plainly as that of Sirice that if the peniten- tial Laying on of Hands at the reception of heretics was not actually Confirmation, at any rate it had precisely the same supposed spiritual value. It is a curious point, though beside our present purpose, that the Koman bishop adopts, in writing to the Bishop of Antioch, exactly the position of Lucifer with regard to the validity of Arian Baptism and the invalidity of Arian Orders, against which the Roman presbyter at Antioch had directed his keen ridicule some five and twenty years before. " As for the Arians and other similar plagues, the fact that we adopt their lay people, when they turn to the Lord, under the symbol of penitence and sancti- fication of the Holy Ghost, through the Imposition of the Hand (sub imagine paenitentiae ac sancti Spiritus sanctificatione per manus vmpositionem), does not indicate that their clergy ought to be adopted with the dignity of the priesthood or of any minis- terial rank. We only allow their Baptism to be valid, on the ground of its being performed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy 1 The letter is quoted in a genuine epistle of Innocent I., as well as by Isidore of Seville, and is found in the collection of Dionysius Exiguus early in the sixth century. Were heretics received by Confirmation 9 1 79 Ghost, nor do we deem that they have the Holy Ghost from that Baptism and those mysteries (ex illo baptismate ttlisque mysteriis). When their founders departed from the Catholic faith, they lost the per- fection of the Spirit, which they had received ; nor can they give His fulness (which has its chief opera- tion in giving Orders), which by the faithlessness of their impiety I cannot call it faith they have lost. How is it possible for us to consider their profane priests worthy of the honours of Christ, when their laymen are received, as I said, as incomplete (imper- fectos), to gain the grace (or gift, gratiam) of the Holy Ghost with the symbol, of penitence I" 1 1 Epist. xxiv. (ad Alexandrum ep. Antioch.} 4. The letter is found in Dionysius. That no real distinction between the con- firmatory and the penitential Laying on of Hands was seen is proved by S. Jerome's dialogue against the Luciferian, where it would have been exactly to the point to deny that there was any identity between the rite practised by the Luciferians (and others) in re- ceiving heretics, and the rite practised by Catholic bishops in com- pletion of baptisms bestowed by Catholic presbyters. The earliest attempt to distinguish between the two things if the document is genuine occurs in an epistle purporting to be by Vigilius, Bishop of Rome (A.D. 538), which says, of men who had received Arian Baptism " But their reconciliation does not take effect (operator, perhaps, in late Latin, ' is not effected') by means of that Imposition of the Hand which takes place through (per) invocation of the Holy Ghost, but by means of that Imposition whereby the fruit of penitence is acquired and the restoration of the Holy Communion is performed*" But there is grave reason to discredit the document. It exists in more than one form, and has certainly been largely interpolated in the interests of the Roman see. It is alleged to be the same letter which was read aloud at the first Council of Braga (A.D. 561), addressed by the see of Rome to Profuturus, formerly Bishop of Braga. But, on the one hand, there is nothing to prove that the letter read there was written by Vigi- lius, or that Profuturus was contemporary with him ; and, on the other hand, several ancient copies of our letter appear to be addressed ad Eutherium without mention of his see. The contents of the epistle, 1 80 Bishops alone to anoint on the forehead. S. Innocent is not content to ascribe the gift of the Holy Ghost to Baptism by itself ; the expression, " from that Baptism and those mysteries," implies additional ceremonies attached to Baptism, and con- veying the gift along with it. This is more directly stated in a more famous letter of his, in which he attempts to regulate the growing confusion which attended the administration of the baptismal sacra- ments. " Concerning the sealing of ' Infantes,' it is mani- fest that it is not lawful to be done by any other than the bishop. For presbyters, although they are priests of the second order (secundi sacerdotes), yet have not the mitre of the high-priesthood (pontificatus apicem). That this high-priestly office (pontificium) belongs only to the bishops, either to seal, or to transmit the Comforter Spirit (ut uel consignent, uel tradant), is proved not only by Church usage, but also by that passage of the Acts of the Apostles, which asserts that both Peter and John were sent to transmit the Holy Ghost to persons already baptized. For presbyters, whether without the bishop, or in the presence of the bishop, are allowed, when they baptize, to anoint the baptized with the Chrism, but with Chrism which has been consecrated by the bishop ; they are not allowed, however, to seal the forehead with that oil ; ab we have it, do not tally with what appear to have been the con- tents of the letter read at Braga. And finally, the epistle seems not to have been known to Isidore of Seville, which could hardly have been the case had it been the letter read at Braga. Part of the letter may be genuine, but the sentence quoted bears every sign of being modern. The delivery of " the Comforter Spirit" 181 this belongs only to the bishops, when they transmit the Comforter Spirit." 1 There are many points in which this letter deserves the attention of those who trace the history of rites rather than of doctrines. As the statement of Jerome above given is the first decided state- ment that Chrism in the West was used in Baptism, when administered by others than bishops, so is this of Innocent the first decided statement that that Chrism must be consecrated by the bishop. It is also the first clear proof that, after such anointing by the inferior minister, there was a second use of the Chrism by the bishop at the completion of the Baptism. It is interesting also to observe the dis- tinction, now first clearly displayed, between Unction as such, applied to the head (as in the works of S. Ambrose) or to the breast (as in those of S. Gregory the Great), and Unction as the Seal, applied (no doubt in the form of a cross) to the forehead. 3 But 1 Epist. xxv. (ad Decent, ep. Eugub) 6. The epistle is included in the collection of Dionysius, and is quoted as Innocent's by Isidore. The second Council of Seville (A.D. 619) also quotes some words of it, though without naming the source. Gallandi's text, which I have translated, differs from the editions of Dionysius, in having the word secundi to qualify sacerdotes, and inserting pontificium in the sentence next after. * Unless we suppose the Psychomachia of Prudentius to be earlier. Sobriety, personified, there asks whether Christian men will allow Luxury to disgrace their heads with effeminate attire and cosmetics, " after the Seal of the forehead inscribed with oil, whereby the royal ointment was given and the everlasting chrism " (Psych. 360). The Spanish poet speaks in two other places of the Chrism. One of the passages (Cathem. vi. 125) is well known from having been adopted into the offices of the Western Church : " Remember, O worshipper of God, that them hast passed under the holy dew of the font and 1 82 accompanies the Seal, not effected by it. the dogmatic interest of S. Innocent's letter lies in this, that he does not conceive of Baptism, even when accompanied by Unction with that con- secrated chrism, as conveying the great gift. That remains to be conveyed by the bishop himself after- wards. Innocent is often said to assert that the gift is then conveyed by the sealing of the fore- head with the sacred oil. But his language does not express that notion. He actually separates the two things by the words, " either to seal, or to deliver the Spirit." He says that such a sealing was reserved for the bishops "when they deliver the Comforter Spirit (cum tradunt Spiritwm paracletum}," as if it accompanied the delivery but did not convey it. His usage cannot well have differed from that which Jerome describes ; and Innocent's words would most naturally be taken to mean that this sealing with the Chrism on the forehead was to be used by the bishops at the time of Laying on of Hands. While the other Unction was a part of Baptism proper, this was to be considered a part of Confirmation. But whether Innocent regarded the sealing as a part, or whether he regarded it as the whole of Confirmation, it is in Confirmation (identified, be it laver, that thou hast been scored with the Chrism" (te chrismate innotatum). The other (Cathem. v. 156) describes, apparently, the poet's soul as a candle " steeped in the ointment of the peace-giving Chrism." These passages do not tlirow much light upon the doctrine. In the second the connexion of the Chrism with Baptism is seen. The first shews that it was currently believed in Spain, as elsewhere, to consecrate a man king. The epithets perenne and pacificum seem to refer respectively to the "abiding" of the spiritual Unction, and to the symbolism of the olive from which the Chrism is made. Leo on the royal priesthood. 183 observed, with the Laying on of Hands at Samaria) that "the Comforter Spirit" is delivered. There is a splendid fulness of thought in the addition of that one title Paracletus, not. found in any earlier Latin author in this connexion, though probably already incorporated into the order of service which makes this letter almost as important doctrinally as it is from the ritual or canonical point of view. Perhaps no one saying of any author since the close of the Canon has had so powerful an effect upon Western doctrine with regard to the matter in hand as this sentence of the great precursor of S. Leo. Nothing that had yet been uttered so tended to make Con- firmation appear as an independent sacrament. Innocent died in A.D. 417. In 440 Leo succeeded to his throne. In the light of what has now been said of S. Innocent's teaching, the following words of S. Leo will be the more clear : "But you, beloved, whom I can address in no more suitable words than those of the blessed Apostle Peter, 'a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people/ built upon Christ, the inviolable Bock, and engrafted into our very Lord and Saviour by His true assumption of our flesh, remain steadfast in that faith which you have con- fessed before many witnesses, and in which, having been born again through water and the Holy Ghost, you received the Chrism of salvation and the Seal of eternal life." * 1 Serm. xxiv. 6. The phrase ehrisma talutit was probably already incorporated into the formula of uuction ; Bee p. 221. 1 84 The Jewish sacraments fulfilled in ours. It is usual to suppose that " the Chrism of salva- tion and the Seal of eternal life " mean one and the same thing to Leo. It may be so ; but what we have learned from S. Innocent suggests rather the separate acts of the baptismal Unction, and the Seal which accompanied the Imposition of Hands. S. Leo, at any rate, distinguishes more sharply than most others before him, between the regeneration of Baptism, complete in itself, and the gifts, which he does not describe in detail, bestowed by subsequent, yet con- nected, rites. There are two other places 1 in which S. Leo speaks of the Chrism as a sacrament in almost the technical sense, in the first of them apparently making it a different thing from the Seal. He is teaching that all the ancient mysteries are made ours in Christ. "Let not the Jew think that it profits him to abide carnally on the surface of the letter, while he is proved to be in fact fighting against those Scrip- tures, which hold amongst us their own true value, instructing us by their predictions, and at the same time enriching us by the fulfilment of them. For when the Lord said, ' I, if I be lifted up, will draw all things (omnia) unto Me/ there remained nothing of the institutions of the law, nothing of the figures of the prophets, which did not wholly pass over into the Christian sacraments. With us is the seal of circumcision, the hallowing of the anointing oils 1 The Epistle numbered 88 in Quesnel's edition, ad uniuersos Germaniarum et Gattiarum regionum episcopos, is a feeble forgery. Confusion at Alexandria for lack of Chrism. 185 (chrismatum), the consecration of priests ; with us is the purity of the sacrifice, the truth of baptism, the glory of the temple." * He writes to the Emperor, his namesake, about the confusion existing at Alexandria, where the Bishop, Proterius, had been murdered on Maundy Thursday, the usual day for the consecration of the Chrism. " All the light of the heavenly sacraments is there extinguished. The offering of the Sacrifice is in- terrupted, the hallowing of the chrism has failed, and by the parricidal hands of wicked men all the mysteries have withdrawn themselves." a It is not easy to understand why the " offering of the Sacrifice " should have been interrupted by the death of the bishop, perhaps it was only because of the prevailing terror and agitation, but it may be observed that Leo does not assert that the usual Paschal administration of Baptism had been stopped, as he probably would have done, had that been the case. There were, no doubt, plenty of presbyters to administer that sacrament; but Leo observes that they were unable to proceed to the completion of these Baptisms, because they had no bishop to hallow the anointing oil. So far as I am aware, Leo never peaks directly of the Laying on of Hands (except so far as it is 1 Serm. Ixvi. 2. The plural chrismatum seems to refer to the chrisms used for the energumens and sick, and for Confirmation respectively. Epist. clvi. . 5. 1 86 Heretics to be " confirmed" on coming over. implied in the signaculum uitae aeternae), save in connexion with the reception of persons baptized outside the Church, Of this, he speaks as others had done before him. In one letter he deals with those "who came out of Africa or from Mauritania, and do not know what sect it was that they were baptized in : " " These persons know that they have been bap- tized, but say that they do not know what faith those who baptized them belonged to. Therefore, as they have in one way or another received the form of Baptism, they must not be baptized, but must be joined to the Catholics by Imposition of the Hand, the power (uirtute) of the Holy Ghost being invoked, which power they could not receive from heretics." 1 In another : " Those who received Baptism from heretics, when they had not already been previously baptized, are to be confirmed by invocation of the Holy Ghost only, through the Imposition of Hands (sola inuocatione Spiritus sancti per impositionem manuum con- firmandi sunt\ because they have got but the form of Baptism without the sanctifying power (sancti- ficationis uirtute). And this rule, as you know, we declare binding, to be observed in all Churches, that the laver once entered upon (initum) must not be violated by any repetition, because the Apostle says, ' One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.' Its washing must not be tampered with by any repetition, but, as we have said, only the sanctification of the Holy 1 Epist. clxviii. (ad Rustic, ep. Narlon.) 18. Heretical Baptism confers regeneration. 187 Ghost is to be invoked, in order that what no one receives from heretics, the man may gain from Catholic bishops." l It is observable, on the one hand, how S. Leo here uses the word confirmare almost in its modern sense ; and, on the other hand, how, following previous teachers, he regards the Imposition of Hands, in these circumstances, as the means of obtaining all the spiritual benefits of Baptism, not only those which in ordinary cases, as he himself has taught, belonged to the Chrism or to the Seal Another letter, however, appears to allow more value to heretical baptisms : " If it is proved that any one has been baptized by heretics, in such a case let there be no approach to a repetition of the sacrament of regeneration ; but let that only be conferred which was there wanting, namely, that through the bishop's Laying on of the Hand, he may gain the power (uirtutem) of the Holy Ghost." 2 From his choice of the expression, " the sacrament of regeneration," it looks as if S. Leo felt that the man baptized by heretics might be said to be already regenerate. 8 With S. Leo, we pass away from the main con- structive period of Christian doctrine. Chalcedon 1 Epist. clix. (ad Nicet. ep. Aquil.) 7. Epist. clxvi. (ad. Neon. ep. Ravenn.) 2. * It has been supposed, from expressions of Cyprian and Firmilian, that Leo's predecessor, Stephen, taught as much. See art. ' Cyprian,' in Smith's Dictionary of Christian Biography, p. 752. The point, however, adinita of being controverted. 1 88 Prosper on Austin 's view of Unction. had disposed of the last great heresy concerning the person of Christ ; and S. Austin had given its death- blow to the most conspicuous heresy of the West. The period which followed was more practical than doctrinal, and theology was largely abandoned for the work of missions to the invading nations, and of developing Church organization. The great Western School of theological learning during that period was to be found in Gaul. There, the Pelagian controversy was in course of being finally threshed out. The materials with which S. Austin had fur- nished the Church were there digested and brought to bear ; and among the Gallican divines was still found sufficient independence of mind, partly maintained by intercourse with the East, not to accept all his conclusions, or those of Rome either, unhesitatingly. First of these Gallican divines, however, we may mention one in whom Rome and S. Austin alike had a most zealous partisan. Prosper, a native of Aquitaine, was for a time secretary to S. Leo. He stands at the head of the list of men, who, like Eugyppius in Africa a little later, and Cupezzoli and Jansen in modern times, have endeavoured to make collections of the doctrines of the great African. He gives the following summary of S. Austin's teaching about Unction : " Christ's name comes from chrism, that is, from unction. Every Christian is consecrated for this purpose, that he may understand himself not only to be partaker of the priestly and royal dignity, but also to be made an athlete against the devil." l 1 Sentent. ex Aug. cccxliv. The last words are taken from Aug. Tract, in loann, xxxiii. 3, though with an important alteration. Salvian on the " new generation" 189 Perhaps the chief interest of this quotation is its extreme meagreness when compared with the wealth of S. Austin's teaching on the subject. If Prosper's words were to be hardly pressed, he must be taken to mean that Unction was only an instructive symbol. While S. Austin's words are, " He anointed us because He made us athletes against the devil," his disciple reduces him to saying that the purpose of our conse- cration is to impress upon us our duty in the matter. Probably S. Prosper did not quite intend this. But it is significant that he should seize upon the one passage where S. Austin, deriving the symbolism of Unction from its use in the palaestra rather than at the bath, makes it a preparation for combat. It joins with the contemporary rise of the word con- firmare, to show that a new line was coming to be taken with regard to the rite, and that instead of conferring a new blessing it was beginning to be thought of as only developing one already given, with a view to the increase of moral strength. Salvian, presbyter of Marseilles, had the advantage of being highly honoured by both sides in the Semi- pelagian controversy. He thus sets forth the privi- leges of Christianity : "Perhaps it is asked what are the good things which God allots to Christian men. What, indeed, but all those things by which we believe, that is, by which we are Christians? First the Law, then the prophets, thirdly the Gospel, fourthly the Apostolic writings, lastly the gift of a new generation, the grace of Holy Baptism, the anointing of the Divine Chrism ; igo Faustus of Riez on the same. the effect and purpose of which is, that, as of old amongst the Hebrews, who were God's own peculiar people, when the high position of the Judges passed into the power of the Kings, God took the most approved and chosen men and called them by anoint- ing to the kingship, so all Christian men who, after the Chrism of the Church, have done all the com- mandments of God, should be called to heaven to receive the reward of their labour." l The mode of expression is not clear ; but it looks as if Salvian still held the older theory that "the grace of Holy Baptism, and the anointing of the Divine Chrism," together constitute "the gift of a new generation," while he levels down the kingship conferred by the Chrism to nothing more than a future participation of heaven. If this be so, he differed from Faustus, Bishop of Kiez, who was the most conspicuous of the anti-Augustinian party. Faustus clearly asserts the opinion, which we have seen indirectly expressed by Leo, that even heretical Baptism makes the recipient to be new-born. "How can you teach," he says, "that one who comes of his own accord to Baptism has derived no benefit from it, when even upon a heretic regenerated in the name of the Trinity the very virtue of the mystery by itself confers so much, that if afterwards he comes over to the faith of Christ, he needs nc repetition of Baptism, but is judged to be so truly washed by the operation of grace, that he is only clothed with the benediction of the Chrism ? " 2 1 De Gubern. Dei iii. 2. * De Grot. Dei i. 14. First use of name "Confirmation. 191 Probably Faustus has no intention, in the last phrase, of excluding the Imposition of Hands; "the Bene- diction of the Chrism" is rather the sort of phrase which would include it, and help us towards under- standing how the one act melted into the other. In another place, which perhaps gives us the earliest example of the unqualified use of the word " Confirma- tion," Faustus adheres faithfully to the ancient doc- trine that the Holy Spirit is given in Confirmation, marking Confirmation off from Baptism by the very name of His "coming." He is speaking of the disciples found by S. Paul at Ephesus : "When the Holy Ghost was come upon them, then they spoke with tongues and prophesied. See how great is the power of the Holy Ghost! In Baptism is bestowed the remission of sins ; in the coming of the Holy Ghost gifts of supernatural powers are conferred, and miraculous signs are per- formed by the confirmed (a confiivnatis)." * A still more vigorous account of the benefits of Con- firmation is found in a homily, first printed under the name of Eusebius of Emesa, but now shown to be from the same powerful hand of Faustus. The homily was delivered on Whitsunday, one of the two days of the year on which Baptism was canonically cele- brated. It is founded on the text, " In those days, saith the Lofd, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh." 1 De Spiritu Sancto ii. 4. This treatise has hitherto been current under the name of Paschasius, bat Engelbrecht has recently vindi- cated it for Faustus ; see his Vienna edition of the works of Far p. xii., and hia fuller treatise referred to on p. v. 192 What need of Confirmation to the baptized? " Let us mark," says the preacher, " the riches of the supreme goodness. What now, in the Confirma- tion of the novices (in confirmandis neophytis), the Imposition of the Hand bestows on each, the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the assembly of believers then gave to all. But because we have said that the Imposition of the Hand and Confirmation is able to confer somewhat upon him who is already born anew in Christ, perhaps some one thinks with himself, ' What good can it do me, after the mystery of Bap- tism, to have the services of one to confirm me (minis- terium confirmantis) ? So far as I can see, we have not obtained all from the font, if after the font we still need the addition of a new kind of thing.' That is not so, dear brethren ; listen to me. Military discipline requires that when an emperor has received a man into the number of his soldiers, he should not only put his mark on the man, but should also equip him with sufficient arms for battle. So in the case of the baptized man, that Benediction is a protection. You have found a soldier; find him the implements of warfare. Is it of any use for a parent to confer a vast property on his little child, unless he takes care also to provide him with a guardian ? So the Paraclete is to the regenerate in Christ a keeper and a consoler and a guardian. Therefore the word of God says, ' Except the Lord keep the city, the watch- man waketh but in vain.' And so the Holy Ghost Who came down upon the waters of Baptism with His saving illapse, bestows at the font absolutely all that is needed to restore innocence; in Confirmation The Atonement and the gift of the Spirit. 193 He grants a development for progress in grace (in fonte plenitudinem tribuit ad innocentiam, in confirmatione augmentum praestat ad gratiam). Because in this world, if we live, we must walk all our days among invisible foes and dangers, therefore in Baptism we are born again to life, after Baptism we are confirmed for combat; in Baptism we are washed clean, 1 after Baptism we are fortified. Thus, if we pass away at once, the benefits of regeneration are all that we want ; but if we are to live, the help of Confirmation is necessary for us. Regeneration by itself saves those who are soon to be received into the peace of the world of bliss; Confirmation arms and equips those who are to be reserved for the conflicts and battles of this world. He who after Baptism reaches death with the innocence which he has acquired, unspotted, is confirmed by death; for he cannot sin after death." The preacher proceeds to parallel Baptism with the redeeming work of Christ, and Confirmation with the gift of the spirit which followed after it : " If here, perhaps, we should wish to inquire what good the coming of the Holy Ghost could do the Apostles after Christ had suffered and risen again, the Lord Himself clearly expounds this to them: ' What I say to you,' He says, ' ye cannot bear now ; but when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will teach you all truth.' You see that when the Holy Ghost is poured into us, the faithful heart is enlarged to prudence and constancy. So, before the descent 1 Read abluimnr. The other reading nHmur makes no sense. O 194 Benefits of receiving the Spirit. of the Holy Ghost, the Apostles are terrified even to denial ; but after His visitation, they are armed even to martyrdom, despising deliverance. According to this, we are redeemed through Christ; but through the Holy Ghost we are enlightened with the gift of spritual wisdom, are built up, instructed, furnished, completed, so as to be able to hear that voice of the Holy Ghost, 'I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go.' Of the Holy Ghost we receive it that we are made spiritual, because ' the natural man perceiveth not the things which are of the Spirit of God.' Of the Holy Ghost we receive it that we should be wise to discern between good and evil, to love righteous things, to reject unrighteous ; that we should fight against wickedness and pride, and resist luxury, and divers enticements, and defiling and unworthy desires. Of the Holy Ghost we receive it that, being kindled with the love of life and the passion for glory, we are able to lift up our minds from earthly things to things above which are Divine. For to this end we have been granted reason and sense, by the endowment of nature and by the restoration of a second birth, that according to the Apostle's language, we should mind rather the things which are above, not the things which are upon the earth." 1 1 The collection of homilies of which this forms one was first published by Gaigny in 1517, under the idea that they were translated from Eusebius of Emesa. They will be found in De la Bigne's Bibliotheca Patrum, vol. vi. p. 618, foil., from the addition of A. Schott, ascribed to " Eusebius episcopus Gallicanus." No such personage is known for certain ; but it is quite possible that a man of that common name may have made the collection. The sermons have been thought Relation of Baptism to Confirmation. 195 So noble a statement of the doctrine of the Laying on of Hands deserves a word or two of comment. Baptism and Confirmation are not confused with each other, as if but one gift was conveyed by both in common. Baptism is a cleansing, a restoration of immunity from guilt; it saves. It is also, and this in the clearest and most decided way, a regeneration ; the baptized man lives a new life ; he is the child, if the infant child, of God. It answers to the work of Christ for us. Confirmation answers to the special work of the Holy Spirit. It is to us what His descent on the day of Pentecost was to the Apostles ; it is His coming, His personal infusion into the believer's heart, attended with the utmost important and varied results, in the way of intellectual and moral strength and development. The description suits an age when Baptism and Confirmation were beginning to be frequently separated in practice, and men were forced to inquire into the value of a second rite. Yet the fine sentence with which the above extract closes appears to suggest that Confirmation and its gift are a part of that whole process described as the reparatio secundae natiuitatis, " the restoration of a second birth." It is not regarded as an " additional to be by different Gallican authors, as Maximus of Riez, Faustus of Riez, and others, but all of a good date. Casimir Oudin (Comment, de Scriptoribus et Scriptis Ecd. torn. i. p. 412) learnedly endeavours to shew that they were all by the last-named prelate. Engelbrecht (p. xxvii.) unhesitatingly adopts the same conclusion. The theology of the homily with which we are specially concern(?fl bears it out. The bold injection, in the last sentence which I have quoted, of the naturae munere before secundae natiuitatis reparatione is quite in the style of the anti-Augustinian school. 1 96 The 'Praedestinatiis ' on the four sacraments. thing of a new kind" (adiectio noui generis), but rather as a further acquisition (augmentum) in the same kind ; although the preacher's words forbid us to say that it is only an increased measure of the gift of the Holy Ghost already given, which he never implies. The anonymous author of the Praedestinatus, who warmly took the same side as Faustus in the question of the day, thus inveighs against the way in which the Augustinian theology appeared to refer all blessings to a hidden future : " The adoption of sons is not promised in Baptism ; it is conferred. But you say of that which we have already received, ' Hope that is seen is not hope.' To us, all hope is seen to consist in the consecration of Baptism ; therefore because our hope is seen, it is not hope ! In the anointing of Christ's Chrism we behold the confirmation (firmamentum) of our hope ; there- fore the hope that is seen is not hope ! We see the Body of Christ, which is our hope; therefore the hope that is seen is not hope ! We fix our gaze upon the Blood of Christ, which it our redemption; there- fore the hope that is seen is not hope ! You have emptied all the sacraments ; you have made void the mysteries; and like faithful and fitting quarter- masters of Antichrist you are preparing a place for him to which, when we have been cast out by some, he may succeed. For what- the Apostle says about the joys of -this world, ' The hope that is seen is not hope,' you have transferred to the Divine mysteries. What he mentions in reference to fleeting and perish- Gtnnadius on the reception of heretics. 197 able things, you have attached to Holy Baptism itself." 1 The passage is interesting as shewing that the author more or less consciously felt that Baptism was a double sacrament in the same sort of sense as the Eucharist, containing in itself two sacraments. The Untion is the firmamentum of the hope which Baptism, with its adoption and sanctification, gives, much in the same way as at a later time, in the Ordo Romanus, the giving of the Chalice after the Bread is described as the " confirmation "of the communicants. 2 Gennadius, like Salvian, was a presbyter of Mar- seilles, and, like the rest of that Church, inclined to the Semipelagian side, being a great admirer of Faustus. In the doctrinal work which he published as a vindication of his orthodoxy, he speaks as follows about the reception of heretics : " Any who have been baptized among those heretics who baptize in the confession of the Holy Trinity, and then come to us, are to be received indeed as baptized, lest the invocation or confession of the Holy Trinity should be annulled ; but they must be taught afresh, and instructed in what sense the mystery of the Holy Trinity is held in the Church ; and if they agree to believe it, or are willing to confess it, being now purified by integrity of faith, they should be confirmed by the Imposition of the Hand. But if they are little children, or dull of comprehension, and unable to take in doctrine, those who present them, according to the custom of Baptism, answer for them ; 1 Praedeet. iii. 25. * See Ducange, .t. Confirmnre. 1 98 Baptism of blood and the gift of the Spirit. and so being fortified by the Imposition of the Hand and Chrism, they may be admitted to the Eucharistic mysteries." * From the ritual point of view this passage is of value, as it shews how the Imposition of the Hand and the Chrism were coming to be two names for one and the same rite. It is not to be supposed that intelligent adults only required one rite oi admission to the Church, after being christened in heresy, while children and the less intelligent required two. The "Irnpositipn of the Hand" in the first case is equivalent to the " Imposition of the Hand and Chrism" in the second. It means that the Unction upon the brow at the time of the Laying on of Hands was becoming increasingly " the Chrism." Another passage from the same work shews what doctrinal value Gennadius ascribed to the rite. He is drawing a detailed parallel between the baptism of blood and the normal Baptism : "The candidate for Baptism confesses his faith before the bishop (sacerdote), and answers to his questions ; this the martyr does before the persecutor, both confessing his faith, and answering the questions. He, after his confession, is either sprinkled with water or plunged in it ; the martyr is either sprinkled with blood or bathed in fire. He, by the Imposition of the Hand of the pontiff, receives the Holy Spirit ; the other is made the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit, inasmuch as ' it is not he that speaks, but the Spirit of the Father Which speaks in him.' The former 1 De Ecd. Dogm. 52. John the Deacon of Rome. 199 partakes of the Eucharist in commemoration of the Lord's death ; the latter dies with Christ Himself." l There had been no blood-baptisms for nearly two hundred years when Gennadius wrote this book, 2 and there is an air of more primitive antiquity about the language which makes it probable that the learned presbyter was using the words of an earlier divine. The presence of the bishop at baptisms, the immediate sequence of the Laying on of Hands and of the Holy Communion, were not so necessarily to be taken for granted in Gennadius's time in Gaul; nor perhaps was the doctrine of the Laying on of Hands generally so robust. But Gennadius at any rate makes it his own. The effect of the Imposition of the bishop's Hand in Baptism is to receive the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. We return to the Roman Church. Not long after the time of Gennadius, a deacon of the Roman Church, named John, wrote an interesting letter to Senarius, the friend of Avitus and of other distinguished Churchmen of the fifth and sixth centuries, describing, amongst other things, the baptismal ceremonies used in his time at Rome. This letter appears to have had considerable influence upon the thoughts and language of the writers of the next four centuries. After speaking of the actual Baptism, he relates how the newly baptized was arrayed in white robes, and then "His head is anointed (perungitur) with the 1 De Eccl. Dogm. 74. * The book was sent to Gelasius L, who was Bishop of Rome A.D. 492-496. 2OO John the Deacon on Baptism. unction of the sacred Chrism, in order that the bap- tized may understand that the kingship and the priestly mystery have met in him." After this " To express more fully the representation of priesthood, the head of him who is receiving the new birth (renascentis) is attired with a decoration of linen; because the priests of the former times always adorned their heads with a certain mystical covering." John insists on the necessity of the Chrism being consecrated by the bishop alone, in words which shew acquaintance both with S. Jerome's teaching and with S. Innocent's, and enforces it by various Old Testa- ment analogies, and adds : " Rightly, therefore, the Apostolic power of Bene- diction and Unction is traditionally reserved for him who undoubtedly holds the chief place in the Church's orders." He allows that there are cases where "force of necessity" compels presbyters to ''make the holy Chrism, as is said to be done in Africa at the present time," where the Catholic bishops had all been exiled by Hunneric ; but he explains it by saying that what would otherwise have been very perturbing, was set right by the bishops having themselves given leave to do it, so that it might still be considered the bishops' own act. More valuable from the dogmatic point of view is the passage with which this fragment of a letter closes, in which John endeavours to answer Senarius" What Confirmation adds to Baptism. 201 question, " Whether it is any disadvantage to a man or not, if after being baptized, he should pass out of this life without the unction of the Chrism and the bishop's Benediction." He replies to this inquiry thus: " About this point I would rather hear more fully from the learned than say anything myself. My own impression, however, without prejudice to a better understanding and the full judgment of greater authorities, ... I will briefly give. Take a similitude from this first birth by which we have our origin, in order to understand that second birth, by which we truly live and in which we are justified. When the babe has been born, and has obtained a share in this light, we say that a perfect man has been born, and is of the same substance as he that begat him, that is, a rational, mortal, animal, although the one is big, the other little ; for these are words which express accidents and not nature. If therefore such additions are made as contribute to growing age, is anything added to the definition of nature ? Far from it ; the property of nature does not admit of extension or diminution." Unhappily, the little disquisition here ends with cither the patience of the scribe or the destruction of his manuscript ; but John was no doubt about to say, after the manner of Faustus of Riez, that the man regenerate through Baptism was perfectly regenerate, and could not be made more so, but that there was abundant room for growth and strengthening in the Divine life, and that these were the gifts 2O2 Position of Gregory the Great. of " Unction and Benediction," or " Benediction and Unction." * The only other Roman Churchman whom we have to consider is S. Gregory the Great. This epoch- making man exercised a special influence upon the fortunes of Confirmation. Not that doctrinally he altered men's conception of the rite ; but it is well known that he materially affected the judgments of the later Church with regard to the mode of its administration. It has too hastily been assumed in some quarters that Church history, and the history of Confirmation in particular, is the record of a long series of encroachments by the first order of the sacred ministry upon the prerogatives of the second. One of the main contentions of Daille's bitter treatise De Confiiinatione is that originally all presbyters were recognised to have the right of performing the acts which now pass by that name; and that by a suc- cession of repressive enactments the bishops wrested the right from them. As a matter of fact, it appears that a movement of almost exactly the opposite kind took place. Whereas, originally, it was a rare thing, comparatively speaking, for any but a bishop to baptize at all, except in cases of sickness or danger, 1 The letter will be found in Migne, vol. lix. p. 399, very badly edited. The author's date, as Muratori and Gallandi shew, against Mabillon and Martene, who had overlooked the point, is fixed by the mention of the African presbyters. At the time of the later John the Deacon, who wrote the life of S. Gregory, there were no presbyters in Africa. There is nothing in the letter to conflict with a date in the beginning of the sixth century ; and the not very common name of the Dominus merito ittustris semperque magnifcus Senarius could not be better identified than with the friend of Avitus and Ennodius, who is also highly spoken of by Cassiodorus. Encroachments of the presbyterate. 203 later, when the Church came to be more widely spread, and dioceses were large, it became necessary to allow larger freedom of action in this respect to the presbyters in charge of country districts. These, no doubt, rightly understanding Confirmation, especially that portion of it which consisted in Unction, to be a part of Baptism, were naturally inclined to suppose that the permission to baptize included the permission to confirm. They had done so in innocent ignorance at first ; but no doubt some proceeded to jealous contumacy. The growing fre- quency with which the presbyters are forbidden to " seal " by Roman decrees and conciliar canons during the fifth, and sixth, and the early part of the seventh centuries, shews how difficult it was to stem the spirit of advance on their part. Innocent's letter to Decen- tius marks one stage in the process of concession to that spirit ; Gregory's two letters to January, Bishop of Cagliari, mark a further stage. At first S. Gregory had endeavoured to uphold the rule of his predecessor, which had been framed with a view to distinguishing between Unction proper and the Seal or Laying on of the Hand. He wrote to January : "Bishops must not venture to seal baptized ' Infantes ' twice over upon the forehead with the chrism; but presbyters should anoint candidates for Baptism upon the breast, so that the bishops after- wards may properly anoint them on the fore- head." l 1 Epitt. lib. iv. 9. Perhaps by infantes Gregory may mean infants 204 Gregory wavers. The restriction, however, gave great offence in Sardinia, it is to be presumed, and thereupon S. Gregory gave up the point. A decree from Rome by this time ran as law through the Western Church, and Gregory decided, for the first time in the history of Latin Christianity, that presbyters might, as a general rule, in the normal exercise of their office, without special commission for each occasion, confirm, when bishops were not easily to be got at, still, however, it is to be supposed, with chrism supplied by the bishop. He wrote a second letter to the Bishop of Cag- iari : "It has also come to our ears that some were scandalized at our forbidding presbyters to touch with the chrism those who are to be baptized. The in the natural sense. Priests then, as deacons now amongst ourselves, were allowed to baptize young children with less restraint than grown- up peeple. Gregory's wording is a little ambiguous in several points. Did he mean that in case a presbyter had sealed an " infans " on the forehead, tho bishop was to refrain from doing it again ? or does he imply that for some reason the bishop himself might sometimes take a fancy to repeat the act? The latter alternative seems unintelligible, but the former surrenders entirely the inherent power of confirming (as distinct from the permission) to tho presbyter. Again, the use of the word baptizandos in the next clause might be taken to mean some- thing different from baptizatos just before, conceding to presbyters only the right to anoint as a preliminary to Baptism. This, however, is unlikely, both in itself, and from Gregory's use of the gerundive in the next letter to January. It will be remembered that the rule was still in force which prohibited presbyters from using chrism which had not been made by the bishop; so that Gregory's concession, whether in this letter or in the next, did not amount to quite as much as that made, according to the deacon John, by the African bishops ; though even in that case, the act of the presbyter was reckoned to be the act of the permitting bishop. He permits presbyters to confirm. 205 fact is that we only acted in accordance with the ancient usage of our own Church ; but certainly, if there are persons who are aggrieved at the thing, then, where bishops are not to be found, we give leave for presbyters duly to touch with the chrism the candidates for Baptism, even upon their fore- heads." * The extent of the concession is still left a little doubtful ; for Gregory does not say what is to happen if by-and-by the person whom they " touched with the chrism " comes within range of his bishop. But it is to be presumed that subsequent divines were right when they regarded Gregory's rescript as a permission actually to confirm. Theoretically, then, Gregory had put the bishop and the presbyter, with regard to Confirmation, in the same position which for many centuries they have held in the Eastern Church, the presbyter empowered regularly to confirm, though with the bishop's chrism. Practically, however, Gregory's permission was not intended to come to much, and it never ceased to be, in the West, the normal thing for the bishop to confirm with his own hands. He speaks of the Con- firmation tours of the Sicilian bishops as a matter of course. 2 He insists upon their confirming any persons who are not certain whether they have been con- firmed. 3 In an epistle written to a bishop who was, like Gregory himself, a great invalid, he speaks as if 1 Epist. lib. iv. 26. 2 Epist. lib. xiii. 18. Epist. lib. xiv. 17. 206 The permission little used. the people would not obtain Confirmation at all, if the bishop could not get to them : "You will pay visits, brother, as in duty bound, to those Churches which you can reach without labour, in order that those who by the mercy of God are baptized there, may not have to go unconfirmed (inconsignati)." x Upon the doctrinal side of Confirmation, the last of the four Western doctors has little to teach. I do not know of more than one place in his writings where he touches directly upon the subject. 2 He says in a homily to his fellow-bishops : " And through us the faithful come to Baptism, are blessed by our prayers, and by the Imposition of our Hands receive the Holy Ghost from God, and they attain to the kingdom of heaven ; while behold, we, through our negligence, move downwards." 3 He speaks more vaguely in a comment upon the words of Job, " The rock poured me out rivers of oil." This, he says, may mean sacred doctrines; or else "By the name of oil may be meant the unction of the Holy Ghost itself, concerning which it is said by the prophet, ' The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.' The yoke is destroyed because of the anointing, inasmuch as when we are anointed 1 Epist . lib. x. 45 (ad Ecclesium ep. Clminum). * He uses the customary language about laying hands on heretics, or anointing them, as the case may ba, by which they " receive the Holy Ghost." Epist. lib. xi. 67. 3 Horn, in Euang. xvii. 18. I owe my knowledge of this passage to Bishop Kingdon's excellent Paddock Lectures on God Incarnate. Gregory on Unction. 207 with the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are delivered from our captivity and bondage ; and when the insolent dominion of the evil spirit is cast off, the yoke is broken in pieces, which weighed down our free necks. Concerning this oil it is written again, ' My beloved hath a vineyard in the horn of the son of oil.' The son of oil is the appellation of the faith- ful people, which is begotten to the faith of God by the inward unction of the Holy Ghost. So, when the holy Church is depressed by many tribulations, let her call to mind the gifts of the Spirit, and the wonderful Gospel which she still possesses, and let her bewail her own silence, saying, ' The rock poured me out rivers of oil.' " l The expressions are too slight to build upon ; but it looks as if Gregory drew a less clear distinction than many other Fathers between the motion which first " begets us to the faith of God " and the unction which furnishes us with " the gifts of the Spirit." If so, his surrender to the aggressions of the Sardinian presbyters is the less to be wondered at. With Gregory the Great (who died A.D. 604) closes the truly patristic period in the Western Church. But before ending our account of the teaching of the Western Fathers, it will be convenient to examine a few great representative divines of the age between the patristic period and that of the Schoolmen. It is, of course, impossible sharply to divide one period from another, and there were, no doubt, vigorous and independent thinkers and theologians during the Moral, six. 15. 208 Isidore of Seville. second half-millennium of our era. But the chief writers of those centuries, besides mystical exposi- tors of Holy Scripture, and biographers of saints, were devout antiquaries, canonists and ritualists, who amassed and preserved the lore of the Fathers, to serve as material for the great intellectual outburst which succeeded them. To them, therefore, we may well turn for a summary of the traditions which had come down to them. The Church of Spain furnishes us with two excellent examples. S. Isidore, Bishop of Seville from A.D. 600 to 636, thus gathers up the teaching of earlier doctors on the subject of the Chrism and Laying on of Hands : "The anointing Chrism was first composed and also made by Moses in the Exodus, at the command of the Lord, and with it Aaron and his sons were first anointed for a testimony of priesthood and holi- ness. Afterwards kings also were consecrated with the same oil ; from which they were called ' Anointeds,' as it is written, ' Touch not Mine Anointed ; ' and at that time only kings and priests received the mystical unction, by which the Christ was foreshadowed; whose name itself is derived from the chrism. But ever since our Lord, the true King and the eternal Priest, was anointed by God the Father with the mystical heavenly ointment, not only pontiffs and kings, but all the Church is consecrated with the anointing Chrism, inasmuch as each person is a member of the eternal King and Priest. Therefore, because we are a priestly and a royal race, after the Hildefonsus of Toledo 209 laver we are anointed, in order to bear the name of Christ. But that after Baptism the Holy Ghost is given by means of the bishops together with the Laying on of Hands, we remember that the Apostles did so in the Acts of the Apostles." S. Isidore then quotes Acts xix. 1-6, and viii. 14-17, and adds the pious caution of S. Austin : " We are able, indeed, to receive the Holy Ghost, but we are not able to give Him, but invoke the Lord that He may be given." He concludes his account by quoting in full the letter of " the blessed Pope Innocent " with regard to the minister " to whom it specially belongs to do this (a quo potissimum fiat)" x The other Spanish divine whom we may cite is Hildefonsus, Bishop of Toledo from A.D. 657 to 667. His work on Holy Baptism modestly disclaims all idea of originality, and may indeed well do so, seeing that Hildefonsus has done little more than re-edit a work which served Isidore also as a foundation for the book just quoted. This earlier work was composed by Justinian, Bishop of Valencia in Spain in the middle of the preceding century. 2 Hildefonsus' book describes in order the whole process of initiation into Christianity from conversion onwards, exorcism, the unction of catechumens, the position of the competentes, the delivery of the Creed, the contents of the Creed, with a remarkably full 1 De Eccle*. Officiis ii. 26 foil. 2 See Smith and Wace Dictionary of Christian Biography art. " Hildefonsus." V 2io on the baptismal Unction. treatment of the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, the baptismal renunciations, the Baptism itself. After this he proceeds : " As soon as the man, who has been plunged in the waters in the likeness of Christ's death, has been brought again out of 'the waters to the hope of resurrection, a song of thanksgiving is sung for his deliverance, and he is brought forwards to be touched with the sacred Chrism, in order that he may be anointed with the Spirit of God, and may be, and be called, a Christian, from the name and unction of Christ." He then traces the history of the rite in almost the same words as S. Isidore, and continues : "So with this holy Chrism the man is outwardly anointed, and inwardly the power (uirtus) of the Holy Ghost falls upon him (illabitur), so that as the whole man has been purified by the laver, the whole man may be enriched (pinguescat) by the unction of the Spirit, the soul receiving power from that unction of the Holy Spirit, to know God as its indweller, to love Him Whom it has received into itself, to be with Him always, to be governed by Him and do His will ; never to grieve Him, because the man has been sealed with Him on the day of his redemption ; to be among the members of Christ one with Christ, inasmuch as he is vitalised and governed by the Spirit of Christ." After quoting several remarks of S. Austin's about the value of the spiritual unction, and dwelling on the distribution of gifts among the members of The Origin of Laying on of Hands. 2 1 1 Christ, S. Hildefonsus gives at length an interpre- tation of " the sevenfold Spirit " from Gregory the Great, and then discusses the Imposition of the Hand. "The very Truth, Who calls us by Himself the Way, to Himself the Life, in His own person gave us an example of the Imposition of the Hand. S. Mark says, that when they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them, He embraced them, and laying His hand upon them, blessed them. The effect of this act is, that when the words of blessing are uttered, the Spirit is poured upon the person blessed ; when he is touched with the hands, the energy of spiritual power is symbolized. This pattern (forma) of Laying on of the Hand, in imitation of our Lord's own act, has been so widely followed in the sacred services, that every little one, that is, every one made lowly by faith and spiritual obedience, receives from God through the bishop (sacerdotem) the sancti- fying virtue. Thus Jesus blesses, out of the power of His Divinity ; He lays on hands, in order that the humanity which He assumed may be effectual and operative to salvation. Jesus blesses with His mouth, and touches with His hands, because He sanctifies in virtue of being the Word. Jesus blesses and lays on hands, because what the power of the Godhead signifies, the humanity of the Redeemer accomplishes. . . . With wholesome effect, therefore, after Christ's example, the hand is laid upon the faithful by the bishop with blessing, because to him is committed by Divine authority this power, that at (in) the blessing of his mouth the pouring on of the Spirit is effected, 212 Venerable Bede on Confirmation. and at (in) the Laying on of his Hand the touch of spiritual grace grows strong. After Baptism is the fitting time for the Holy Ghost to be given, together with the Laying on of the Hand ; for thus the Apostle is proved to have done in the Acts of the Apostles." S. Hildefonsus quotes the two passages, and con- tinues, like S. Isidore : " As it is true that we can receive the Holy Ghost by Divine gift, so are we unable to give Him by power of our own. But that He may be given, we invoke the Lord, the bountiful bestower of that same grace, that at (in) this ministry of our supplication the grace of the Divine power (uirtutis) may be conferred God performing the whole operation, when He both makes us to pray, and the person who is blessed receives the sanctification, and God Himself pours the sanctification in its fulness upon him." Then follows S. Innocent's letter about the minister of Confirmation, and Hildefonsus goes on to say that " after the washing of the font, after obtaining new- ness of life, after the unction of the Spirit," the man must be taught to say the Lord's Prayer, which he thereupon expounds. 1 In England, forty or fifty years later, the Vener- able Bede, in whose person all the learning of the time was embodied, in his brief notes upon the Acts of the Apostles, repeats the traditional language. Philip, he says, if he had been an Apostle, " would himself have been able to lay hands " on the Samaritan converts, "that they might receive the Holy Ghost; 1 De Coynitione Baplismi cxxii.-cxxxii. Bede on Imposition of Hands. 213 for this belongs (debetur) only to the bishops." Bede enforces this by the decree of Innocent, though without naming him. Upon S. Paul's question to the disciples at Ephesus, " Did ye receive the Holy Ghost ? " he remarks, " That is, did you, after Baptism, receive the Imposition of the Hand, by which the Holy Ghost is ordinarily given (dari solet) ? " And in his life of S. Cuthbert, he speaks of the diligent way in which that saint performed the ordinary duties of the episcopate, " going about his diocese, giving the precepts of salva- tion to country-side, and cottage, and hamlet, and also laying the hand on those who had been lately christened, for the receiving of the grace of the Holy Ghost." 1 1 Vit. pros. S. Cuthb. xxix. If the Commentary upon the Psalms which bears his name were rightly ascribed to Bede, then the debetur, which he obsequiously borrows from Innocent in the notes on the Acts, must have had a modified significance for himself. For the compiler of the notes on the twenty- sixth Psalm (like other mediaeval authors; see Gore Church and the Ministry note F.) ranges himself very sturdily on the side of S. Jerome for the original rights of the presbytery as against the bishop. The doctrine of Confirmation, how- ever, is unchanged. After giving S. Austin's words about the Unction spoken of in the Latin title of the Psalm, this writer proceeds : "And well may the faithful soul thus speak about the first two unctions " (namely of the " illumination " which leads us to renounce Satan, and of the " confirmation " by which we come to share Christ's name) " in order that, proving itself not ungrateful for these, it may be found worthy to be brought to the third for which it longs. But it should be understood that that Unction which comes through the Laying on of Hands by the bishops, as if it were different from the two fore- named, and is commonly called ' Confirmation,' is really the same as the second, but through encroaching pride (propter arrogantiam) it is not allowed to any and every priest (singulis sacerdotibus], like many other things." Bede, however, does not mention this Commentary on the Psalms in his catalogue of his own writings, and it is generally agreed now that the work is not his. The unknown author was trusting to a false lead when he made his antiquarian statement 214 Alcuin on the gijt in Baptism. The learning of Bede, and of Western Europe, passed, through Egbert and the schools of York, to Alcuin. As is to be expected, he frequently uses the language of the Fathers about the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. " In Christ's Baptism is the remission of sins, and sanctification, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, as John testifies, who says, ' This is He Who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.' " 1 " Christ is so called from the chrism, Anointed from the anointing, because His name is poured out upon all the faithful with the grace of the Holy Ghost in Baptism." z Instances might easily be multiplied. But Alcuin's letter to the Brethren of Lyons about various Spanish errors shews that he, like all others before him, except (if he be an exception) Maximus of Turin, still reckoned Confirmation as a part of that sacrament, and the part which conveyed this special gift. This he did, although, now, it was almost as a matter of course separated from Baptism by an interval, as the mention of the first Communion between the two proves. There, after describing the right method of performing and understanding the earlier parts of the baptismal ritual, he continues : "Then he is clothed in white raiment, to signify (propter) the joy of regeneration, and purity of life, regarding the minister of Confirmation ; but he was doubtless right when he asserted that the Unction administered by the bishop was not originally distinct from the Unction which (when Confirmation and Baptism were dissevered) accompanied Baptism. 1 Expos, in Psalm, cxxxi. 18. Compend. in Cant. Cant. i. 2. What Alcidn includes in Baptism. 215 and the glory of angelic splendour. Then his head is anointed with the sacred Chrism, and covered with a mystic covering, that he may understand that he, who was once accursed, now bears the dignity of the kingship and the priesthood, according to the Apostle, ' Ye are a royal race, offering yourselves to the living God, a holy sacrifice, well pleasing to God.' Thus he is confirmed with the Body and Blood of the Lord, to be one of His members, Who died and rose again for him. Finally (nouissime), by the Imposition of the Hand of the chief priest he receives the Spirit of sevenfold grace, that he who has in Baptism been endowed through grace with eternal life, may be fortified through the Holy Ghost to preach to others (ad praedicandum aliis)." 1 It is very interesting to note, appearing for the first time in this late utterance, the belief that Con- firmation is not merely a help to the Christian in his struggle with temptation, but a consecration to a life of service for mankind, a life of " preaching to others." Kindled by the teaching of Alcuin, Charles the Great instituted an inquiry into the way in which the clergy were instructed by their bishops to administer and interpret the baptismal ceremonies. He issued a 1 Epist. xc. The same \vords occur among his works as a separate trentise under the title De Baptismi Caeremoniis, The reading in the last sentence must obviously be uita aeterna, not uitae aeternae, though Raban appears to quote the words in the latter form (De Ingt. Cler. i. xxx.). It is now universally recognised that Ihe book De Diuinit Ojficiis, which formerly went under Alcuin's name, belongs t the eleventh century. 2 1 6 Charles and his Metropolitans. paper of questions to the metropolitans, embracing a great number of points in detail, of which the last was " Why is the head anointed with the sacred Chrism, and covered with a mystic covering, and the man confirmed with the Body and Blood of the Lord ? " It will be observed that the form of the question corresponds exactly with the words of Alcuin last quoted> which again are partly taken from John the deacon of Rome, or possibly from some source common to both John and Alcuin. The circular to the metropolitans produced several treatises still extant, bearing a strong resemblance to each other. Odilbert, Bishop of Milan, Amalarius, Bishop of Treves, Leidrad, Bishop of Lyons, and Magnus, Bishop of Sens, amongst the rest, hastened to explain what they and their suffragans taught upon these points. None of them suggests that any other gift is given at the font besides remission of sins, and regeneration, by union with Christ and His Church. The Unction of the head is, to them all, a consecration to the priestly and royal office, "to offer always to God," as Amalarius says, " the sacrifices of an unde- filed manner of life." Odilbert sent a very humble response, and quota- tions from other authors without note or comment of his own. The author quoted upon the sections of most interest to us was John the Deacon. 1 1 The reply is given by Mabillon Vet. Anal. vol. iv. p. 317. The others will be found in Migne's Patrologia, as well as the paper of instructions issued to his clergy by Jesse, Bishop of Amiens, which is founded upon Alcuin. Leidrad on Baptism and Confirmation. 217 It is interesting to note that Amalarius goes no further than the Unction of the head. He had not been specially asked about Confirmation proper, so he says nothing about it. As Confirmation belonged to the bishops, not the presbyters, it had not come within the scope of Charles' inquiry. Leidrad, on the other hand, whose work shews much more reading including Tertullian's treatise on the subject follows S. Austin in not making very clear the distinction between Unction proper and Confirmation, but mentions both. He quotes the words of Scripture which tell how the Spirit of God came upon David from the day when Samuel anointed him, and adds : "It is to be observed that after the unction, or rather by means of the unction, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David, even as we believe that in the Church the Holy Ghost is given through the anointing of the Chrism and the Imposition of the Hand. For as in Baptism is given the remission of sins, so through Unction the sanctification of the Spirit is applied. . . . The Laying on of the Hand is used, in order that the Holy Ghost may be invited through prayer and bene- diction ; and thereupon that Comforter, after the bodies are cleansed, blessed, and anointed, willingly descends from the Father." Leidrad then replies to a question which the Emperor had not asked, but which he says is asked by some, namely, how it is that " when the baptismal font can in no wise be sanctified, nor remission of sins bestowed, without the Holy Ghost, there is still 2 1 8 Magnus of Sens on the same. need for the Laying on of Hands." It is, he says, because there are many ways in which the Holy Ghost is given, not only in Baptism, but also after. He instances the threefold manner in which the Apostles themselves received the Spirit, " in their Baptism," on the night of the Resurrection, and on the day of Pentecost, on which last occasion they " received the Holy Ghost," he says, " when the Lord was now sitting on His. throne, in order that they might have divers gifts in the same Spirit, ' the gift of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, discern- ing of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, the interpreta- tion of tongues.' But we believe that the Holy Ghost is given, not for the acquisition of these lofty gifts only, but also for every good work ; for the Apostle says, ' As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God.' Therefore in Baptism is given the remission of sins, in the Laying on of Hands are bestowed the gifts of miraculous powers (uirtu- tum), as the Apostle Peter says, ' Let every one of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, that ye may receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.' " l The reply sent in by Magnus to the inquiries of Charles was very short. He spoke of the white raiment of the neophytes, and of the sacred Chrism, and of the mystic covering of the head, in almost Alcuin's words, and added : "When all the sacraments of Baptism are accom- plished, finally (nouissime) they receive the Spirit of 1 D Sacram. Bapt. 7. TheodiilJ on " the sacraments of Baptism" 219 sevenfold grace from the chief priest through the Laying on of the Hand, that they may be strengthened in the right faith through the Holy Ghost. And to this end the Laying on of the Hand is used, that through the benediction the Holy Spirit may be invoked and invited. For it is to be remarked that just as the other sacraments of Baptism are performed visibly by the priests, and invisibly consecrated by the Lord, so also the grace of the Holy Ghost is transmitted to the faithful by the Laying on of the Hands of the bishops and is confirmed by the Lord." But before sending in his paper, Magnus had had the acuteness to apply to Theodulf, Bishop of Orleans, to know what answers he ought to give. This prelate, Alcuin's " great competitor " (to use the words of Dr. Stubbs) " in the restoration of learning in France," sent Magnus a book, which, he says, had made him turn over a great many volumes of the Fathers, and " Oh ! " he exclaims, as others after him may well exclaim, " I wish the work were as effectively done as it was gladly undertaken ! " Theodulf answers with sufficient fulness all the points raised by Charles. His account of the " sacra- ment of Baptism " itself is rich and precise. It is a washing with the water from the side of Christ, and therefore forms one of " the two chief sacraments of the Holy Church." The Holy Ghost descends from heaven, in response to the invocation of God, and imparts to the consecrated waters a purifying and regenerative force. Thereby, the baptized man is restored to the image of the Holy Trinity ; and having 22O Amalarius of Metz. been through sin a child of wrath, he is made through grace the child of God. Upon the Chrism, with its royalty and priesthood, Theodulf does not dwell long ; though, after expound- ing the mystical coronation which followed, he returns to it, and says : "The Spirit of sevenfold grace is also granted through the anointing with the Chrism, so that the recipients are found meet to be the habitation, not only of the Spirit, Who is of one substance with the Father and the Son, but of the whole sacred Trinity." But this, he implies, is not to be attributed to the unction administered by the presbyter, but to that development of it which accompanies the Laying on of Hands. Far his longest section is devoted to the doctrine of Confirmation, about which he had not been asked. From it, Magnus culled the sentence above quoted, which draws the parallel between this and " the other sacraments of Baptism." Theodulf, follow- ing S. Innocent, restricts the administration of it to the bishops, and -then proceeds to draw out in a mystical manner the reason why "the Comforter Spirit," Who is given through the Laying on of Hands, is called also " the Spirit of sevenfold grace," working out the seven gifts after the manner of earlier teachers, with great beauty and tenderness. The spirit of ritualistic research was abroad, and we find the younger Amalarius, deacon of Metz, who was one of the most distinguished pupils of Alcuin's later period at Tours, commenting some years later on the custom of making the novices put their lighted tapers Formulas of Unction and Confirmation. 221 into the baptismal water to symbolize that descent of the Holy Spirit into it, which at the same time the priest invoked. He does not, however, any more than Theodulf, speak of the Holy Ghost as given to the candidates until after Baptism. He dwells upon the difference between the prayer of the presbyter in administering the baptismal Unction on the head, and that of the bishop in administering the Unction on the brow, or Imposition of the Hand. "The priest (sacerdos) who anoints the novice, declares in the words of his prayer the loosing of bonds and the binding up of wounds, when he says, ' Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath regenerated thee by water and the Holy Ghost, and Who hath given unto thee the forgiveness of all sins ' in these words we perceive the curing of hurts, and the loosing of bonds ; and then the priest adds, 'Himself anointeth thee with the chrism of salvation unto eternal life ' in these words we per- ceive a kind of putting in safety, which belongs to salvation even unto eternal life. But the bishop passes over the words, ' Himself anointeth thee with the chrism of salvation,' as being endowed with a richer power (ditior), and able not only to put in safety but also to enrich (ditare) ; and he says, ' Send forth upon him Thy holy sevenfold Spirit the Com- forter from heaven, the Spirit of wisdom and under- standing, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness ; fill him with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord, and sign him with the sign of the cross, in mercy, unto eternal life.' " * 1 DC Eed. Off. i. 27. 222 Two modes of Baptism with the Spirit. It is a curious fact that even when Baptism and Confirmation had come to be so far divided as they were by the middle of the ninth century, this Ama- larius could still argue that a man who wilfully refuses to be confirmed after Baptism is in danger of being lost on the ground that our Lord had said, " Except a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God," adding that in Baptism we are truly forgiven our sins and are buried with Christ, but that it is through the Spirit that we are quickened to the new life. "According to Matthew," Amalarius writes, "we are baptized in two ways with the Spirit. We are baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. We are baptized with the Holy Ghost when we are washed from sins, which washing is signified by clothing the whole body at Baptism in white raiment. We are baptized with fire when we receive the heat of the Spirit, as the Apostles did on the day of Pentecost. We receive the baptism of fire through the Laying on of the Hands of the bishops, to consume the ' wood, hay, stubble ; ' because God is a consuming fire, and offers the warmth of eternal life, and the light whereby to see things which are hidden from mortal eyes." " I do not deny," he adds, " that a man may receive the Holy Ghost without the Laying on of the Hand, if the Lord chooses to bestow Him; but one who through negligence loses the Imposition of the Hand incurs a heavy censure, by the Apostolic practice, of which the Laying on of the Hand was a constant The Spirit may withdraw and return. 223 exercise, and also by the discipline of the Church of to-day." It is the indwelling of the living and personal Spirit which Amalarius teaches to be the great benefit of this rite, though, like some earlier writers, he thinks of the benefit as capable of being withdrawn and restored. " The Holy Ghost is the guest of the mind of man. The less the mind is given up to carnal desires, the more amply it is satisfied by the abundance of the Holy Ghost. The recipient ought to observe the ap- pointed seven days after the coming of the Holy Ghost in the same way as a dear friend does with a dear friend. When any one comes to a friend to whom he is dear, the one who entertains him will not in anything offend him ; but whatever he knows that the other likes, he gets for him out of a kind heart. So, whatever the entertainer of the Holy Ghost knows that He likes, he should provide for Him as long as He is with him. If he does this, it may be that He will the sooner be won back to him, if for some offence He should withdraw. When the man who has been anointed recollects that the anointing Chrism is upon him, then he remembers that he ought specially to be under the discipline of the Holy Ghost." l A still more distinguished disciple of Alcuin's has left us a similar account of the faith and practice of the Church of his day. Raban, called, for some unknown reason, in the playful language of Alcuin's literary circle, " the Moor," was Abbot of Fulda at the 1 De Eccl. Off. i. 40 2 24 Raban on regeneration in Baptism, time when he sent his book On the Training of Clerks (A.D. 819) to Haistulf, Archbishop of Mainz, to whose see he afterwards succeeded. In the first book of it, he discourses upon "the four gracious endowments (charismatibius) of the Church, that is, Baptism and Chrism, the Body and the Blood of Christ." l " The first of the sacraments," says Raban, " is Baptism ; because, before a man can be anointed with the holy Chrism, or be made partaker of the Body and Blood of Christ, he must be purified by sacred regene- ration, and so come in due order to the rest. Baptism is not so called because the man is plunged in the water, but because he is there changed for the better by the Spirit of grace, and made something very different from what he was before." z It is clear that, to Raban, regeneration was fully accomplished in Baptism itself. The subsequent blessings are then carefully enumerated. "After the baptized person has come up out of the font," he says, " he is forthwith sealed upon the brain by the presbyter with the sacred Chrism, accompanied by a prayer that he may share the kingdom of Christ, and be able to be called, from Christ, a Chris- tian. The anointing Chrism well follows upon Bap- tism, because the Holy Ghost, Who through that Chrism hallows believers by infusing His own power into them, descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus immediately after His Baptism. A type of this was shown in that dove, which at the Flood 1 De Cleric. Inst. praef. * Hid. i. 25. The necessity of Chrism. 225 brought back to the ark a sprig of olive with green leaves, signifying, surely, that the Holy Ghost through the anointing with Chrism in Baptism confers the greenness of heavenly grace upon the faithful" He fortifies his position (as Amalarius of Metz does also J ) by quoting a forged constitution of Silvester's, enjoining presbyters so to anoint, for fear the novice should die before having an opportunity of receiving Confirmation from the bishop. Because, " if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His," and without being His no one can be partaker of His kingdom, "therefore," says Raban, "it is necessary that the baptized should at once have the succour of the anointing Chrism, in order that, receiving the participation of the Holy Ghost, he may not be a stranger to Christ." 2 Clearly Raban did not believe the Spirit to be given in Baptism proper, however much He may " change men for the better " there. Raban next gives the rationale of the white raiment and the mystic headgear, in almost the words of Alcuin, and says distinctly, what is to be gathered both from Alcuin and also from Charles' articles of inquiry, that the newly baptized and anointed were at once "confirmed," or rather, as Raban prefers to put it, " every preceding sacrament is confirmed in them " by the Body and Blood of the Lord. He speaks as if it had become the normal 1 Only Amalarius is acute enough to observe that if Silvester made such a regulation, Innocent's subsequent decree was " superfluous." 4 De Cleric, lust. 28. The chrism with which the presbyter anoints is still, in Raban's time, made by the bishop. Q 226 Unction compared with Confirmation. thing for persons to be baptized without the bishop's presence, and to receive their first Communion at the same time; and then, with Alcuin's nouissime, he goes on to treat of the Imposition of the Hand of the bishop. " Finally, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, is trans- mitted to him by the chief priest through the Laying on of the Hand, that he may be fortified through the Holy Ghost to preach to others the gift which he has himself gained in Baptism, having been endowed through grace with eternal life. For the baptized is sealed with Chrism by the priest (per sacerdotem) on the top of the head, but by the pontiff on the brow, in order that by the former unction may be signified the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him to consecrate him for a habitation of God (ad habita- tionem Deo consecrandam), and in the second that the grace of the same sevenfold Spirit may be declared to come into the man (uenire in hominem declaretur) with all the fulness of sanctity and of knowledge and of power. For on the former occasion the Holy Ghost Himself, after bodies and souls are cleansed and blessed, willingly descends from the Father, to sanctify and enlighten by His visitation His own vessel; and on this latter occasion He comes into the man, with this intent, that the seal of faith, which he has accepted on his brow, may make him replete with heavenly gifts, and strengthened by His grace to bear the name of Christ fearlessly and boldly before kings and rulers of this world, and to preach it with a free voice. Nor is it strange that the man Raban on the three baptismal rites. 227 should be twice anointed with the same Chrism for receiving the Holy Ghost, when the same Holy Ghost was given to the Apostles themselves twice over, that is, once upon earth, when after His resurrection the Lord breathed upon them, and once from heaven, when, after the ascension of the Lord, He came upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost in fiery tongues, and granted them to speak with the tongues of all nations." x It is very remarkable how Raban, with all his strong teaching about regeneration in the act of Baptism, makes no kind of suggestion that the Holy Spirit is then given, or rather expressly excludes the thought by the reason which, he gives for the earlier Unction; while he labours to explain why and in what different senses He is twice given in the two forms of Unction, of which the second is identified with the Laying on of the Hand. It will be observed that this able and learned scholar studiously refrains from connecting with the first of these Unctions the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit. Somewhat after the manner of Optatus, he speaks of the Spirit in the first Unction as "consecrating" the habitation, as " sanctifying and enlightening by His visitation " the vessel which He has taken for His own ; it is by the second that He " comes into the man." The prayers on the two occasions, to which Amalarius refers, make the distinction very plain. It is worth while to refer, in conclusion, to the teaching of another famous pupil of the great Alcuin De Cleric. Inst. 30. 228 Haymo and "Primasius" Haymo, Bishop of the easternmost of the German sees founded by Charles the Great, at Halberstadt, if it were only to compare and contrast it with the teaching of another whose work has become strangely mixed up with his. A commentary upon the Pauline Epistles and the Epistle to the Hebrews was published by Gaigny in 1537 under the name of Primasius, Bishop of Hadrumetum, in North Africa in the sixth century. It has been convincingly shown by Haussleiter 1 that neither part of this commentary is from the hand of Primasius ; but who was its author is still to be discovered. There is good reason to suppose the south of Gaul to be its birthplace ; but the date (except that it is later than Cassiodorus, whom it quotes) is not certain. Remigius of Rheims, Remigius of Lyons, Remigius of Auxerre, have all been accredited with " this wandering composition," as Haussleiter calls it. Haymo, among whose works is found an exposition of the same books of Scripture, gives a different com- mentary on the Epistles of S. Paul; but when he comes to the Epistle to the Hebrews, he gives us the same commentary as the false Primasius, with scarcely more than verbal differences. Now Remigius, or whoever passes under the name of Primasius, was a firm believer in the ancient doctrine of Confirmation as a part of Baptism. On 2 Cor. i. 23, he writes : " ' And hath anointed us, is God.' With the Holy Ghost, or with the Chrism." 1 In his and Zahn's Forscliungen zur Geschichte des neutest. Kanom, part IV. (.1891). Haymo and " Primasius." 229 Here Haymo's note is fuller. We are anointed, he says, with the grace of the Holy Ghost, that is, we have received remission of sins through the grace of the Holy Ghost. This somewhat meagre statement is then modified by remarking that whereas in the Old Testament priests and kings were anointed with visible oil, " in the New, all the faithful are anointed, not so much with visible oil, as with invisible grace, the grace of the Holy Ghost in Baptism and through the Imposition of the Hand, and they become kings of souls, and priests of peoples, that they may sanctify them." Upon Eph. iv. 31, Remigius says : " ' In whom ye were signed (signati).' Ye began to have a new sign (signum). ' On the day of redemp- tion.' On the day of your Baptism ye received the seal (signaculum) of the Holy Ghost." Haymo writes : "'In Whom' that is, in Christ 'believing ye were signed' that is, sealed or marked 'with the Holy Spirit of promise ' that is, through the Holy Ghost, Who was promised by the Lord to the Apostles, and through Whom we have the promise of life in Baptism. We are therefore marked as God's through the Holy Ghost Whom we received in Baptism, be- cause we recover in Baptism the seal of the likeness of God, which seal we lost by the sin of our first parent, namely innocence and holiness of soul." On Heb. vi. 2, Remigius has : " ' And of Laying on of Hands.' We ought not to lay the foundation again. He appeals to the Laying 230 -Hay mo and " Primasius" on of Hands by which it is most fully believed that the gift of the Holy Ghost is received ; which is wont to be done by the pontiffs after Baptism for the con- firmation of unity in the Church." These words (which are found also, with a slight modification, in Alcuin's commentary) reappear exactly in Hay mo. But when we come to Heb. xiii. 25, we find a significant difference. There, the so-called Primasius gives us the most terse and exact statement of the doc- trine of Confirmation (perhaps adopted from Origen) which is to be found in all patristic theology : " ' Grace be with you all.' It is called grace because freely given. By the name of grace we must here understand a perfect faith, accompanied by good works ; the remission of sins also, which the faithful receive at the time of Baptism ; also the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is given in Baptism through Imposition of the Hand of the bishops ; all which are freely given by God." But, whether Haymo himself felt scrupulous about making this expression his own, or whether the scruple was felt by the scribes to whom we owe the text which goes by Haymo's name, the commentary ascribed to Haymo diverges much, and gives us what is plainly no casual various reading : " By the name of grace we must here understand . . . the remission of sins, which the elect receive at the time of Baptism ; also the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is given as well in Baptism as through Imposition of the Hand of the bishops (tarn in baptismate quam per impositionem manus episcoporum)" Baptism and Confirmation begin to separate. 231 The times have changed ; and it is no longer natural for Haymo (or his scribe) to treat Confirmation as a part of Baptism, or to say that the Holy Ghost is given thereby, and not in Baptism also. The elucidations of Raban, Haymo's fellow-scholar, make it tolerably clear that when Haymo thus speaks of the Holy Ghost as given " in Baptism," " in Baptism and through the Imposition of the Hand," "as well in Baptism as through Imposition of the Hand of the bishops," he would trace the baptismal bestowal of that gift to the Unction then given, and not to the immersion in the regenerating laver. That earlier Unction, as well as the later, was still, if I mistake not, performed with the bishop's chrism, and was itself, therefore, as strictly Confirmation as any now bestowed in the Oriental Church. But how long that restriction continued in force I am unable to say. At any rate, the separation between the bishop's Im- position of the Hand and Baptism had begun to be quite sharp. It could no longer be naturally spoken of as an actual factor in Baptism. The way was prepared for the baptismal Unction to subside into a place of no great importance, administered without reference to the bishop. Instead of the three sacra- mental acts, of Immersion, Unction, and Laying on of Hands, there were soon to be only two. Unction, divided between the two other acts, was destined to change the conception of them both. Attached to the baptismal washing, it became a mere ritual adjunct, while the virtues originally ascribed to it came to be ascribed to Baptism itself. Attached to the Laying 232 Western Fathers differ on some points, on of Hands, it supplanted the original mode of per- forming that rite, drawing to itself what spiritual value was still left to Confirmation after so large a part of it had been transferred to Baptism. As we look back over the baptismal teaching of the Western Fathers of the first eight centuries and a half, there are some things which remain hazy, and some which stand out clear. The specific mean- ing of regeneration, for example, is somewhat hazy. Occasionally it seems to be no more than cleansing and forgiveness ; sometimes it includes the participa- tion of the Divine nature ; now and then, it is even treated as if the long evolution of the Godlike character were contained in the title. It is no wonder, therefore, if there is some discrepancy among the Fathers about the way in which regeneration is conferred. By some, indeed by most, it is thought to be fully given in Baptism itself, so that, without Unction, or Laying on of the Hand, or the Seal, the believer may be said to come new-born out of the font. Others teach, by implication or expressly, that Baptism by itself conveys only what our Saviour calls the being "born of water;" and that the com- plementary rites which follow convey the " birth of the Spirit," without which a man is not yet fully born again. Once more, the Fathers often leave us uncertain how much value to attribute respectively to Unction and to Imposition of Hands, or, which comes to the same thing, to the Unction of the head and of the brow. Not all are as explicit upon this point as Innocent I. or Raban and Amalarius of Metz. but agree about the Confirmation Gift. 233 But one thing may, I think, safely be said. No Western teacher down to the epoch of Charles the Great ever ascribes the gift of the Holy Ghost to Baptism in the restricted sense of that word. Jerome (in one of his many moods) appears to do so. Haymo appears to do so, in contexts where Baptism is con- trasted with Imposition of Hands. But both of them are speaking of Baptisms which included the use of the Chrism ; and the language of S. Jerome himself, and of those whose opinions Haymo shared, shew plainly the value which they attached to the Chrism. That there can be no Christian Baptism without the presence of the Holy Ghost, that He bestows not only the blessings and graces proper to the laver but those also which lead a man to it, is undoubted : and not all Christian teachers in the days of the Fathers, any more than now, cared to draw out the difference between earlier and later bounties of the Divine Spirit. Some shrank from using such language as that of Scripture, which says, " As yet there was no Spirit, because that Jesus was not yet glorified," or "As yet He was fallen upon none of them ; they were only baptized ; " because at first it looks as if such language attributed the more rudimentary operations of grace to some other agent. But such facts only make it the more remarkable that no instance is found in which a Western writer of those ages speaks of the Holy Ghost as bestowed by means of Baptism itself, while they so steadily and consistently teach that He is bestowed by means of Unction and Laying on of Hands. This cannot be 234 The Indwelling of the Comforter. an accident. It was, in fact, not easy for a man to go wrong about the doctrine if lie was in the habit of using prayers and rites such as are contained in the Gelasian Sacramentary and the Ordo Romamus, 1 dating back, in the main, to at least the fourth century. Even what seem, perhaps, subtle distinc- tions in Amalarius and Raban between the two Unctions become manifest in the light of those prayers. Whatever blessings were expected in the font, and in the anointing which succeeded it, it was only in the Laying on of Hands, accompanied by the sealing of the brow, that men were taught to look for the coming and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the sevenfold Spirit of God 1 See the Appendix which follows. APPENDIX I. ANCIENT WESTERN BAPTISMAL PRATERS. THE lex orandi shews, more Convincingly than extracts from the writings of individual teachers can, what were the feelings of the Church in general with regard to the sacred ceremonies. We have already seen Amalarius of Metz quoting from the Ordo Romanus (which, under Pipin and Charles, came to be widely used throughout the West) the prayers offered at the Baptismal Unction and at the Laying on of Hands respectively, and commenting on the significant difference between them. That these two prayers were of far higher antiquity than the time of Amalarius cannot be doubted. The former of them, as we have seen, is found in the De Sacramentis, which there is no reason to think is not by S. Ambrose. In the same work is found the substance of the second. From the way in which Sirice, the contemporary of Ambrose, speaks of the septiformis Spiritus in his letter to Himerius, and from the way in which Innocent, in his letter to Decentius, speaks of the Paracletus Spiritus, it seems probable that those prelates themselves used the very words of the second prayer in administering Confirmation. We may with some confidence suppose that the same holds good of other prayers in the Ordo Romanus and in the Gelasian Sacramentary. 236 Prayers over Catechumens. The Gelasian Sacramentaiy and the earliest known form of the Or do Romanus (which is the book of rubrics or directions to accompany the Sacramentary) are to be most conveniently found in Muratori's Vetus Liturgia Romano,. A later form of the Ordo, put together from several sources, is given by Hittorp in his collection De Divinis Cdtholicae Ecclesiae Officiis. Parts of the ancient Sacramentaries bearing on the subject are also printed in Martene De Antiquis Ecclesiae Ritibus, vol. i., and also in Asseman's Codex Liturgicus, vols. i.-iii., with a good many variations from the form given subsequently by Muratori; these variations, however, have no doctrinal significance. According to the Gelasian Sacramentary, the catechu- mens were to be exorcized in the third week of Lent. In one of the forms of exorcism come these words, addressed to the evil spirit " Give honour, therefore, to the coming of the Holy Spirit (aduenienti Spiritui sancto), Who descendeth from the height of heaven to confound thy frauds, and to perfect the breasts which have been purged by the sacred font and consecrated, by making them a temple and a dwelling-place for God (qui . . . diuino fonte purgata pectora, id est sanctificata, Deo templum et habitaculum perficiaty 1 After this, their ears were " opened," and words from the four Gospels were read to them. They were then supposed to have been " conceived " by their mother the Church "In order that when the revered day of Easter comes, you, being born again (renascentes) by the laver of Baptism, may, like all the saints, be found worthy to receive from our Lord Christ the honour of being Infants and Faithful (fidele tnunus infantiae) ." * On the morning of Easter Eve, they were "catechized," 1 Murat. p. 536. * Ibid. p. 539. At consecration of the font. 237 i.e. questioned about the renunciation of Satan, and the evil spirit was thus again addressed : "I command thee to come out and depart from this servant of God, whom to-day our Lord God Jesus Christ of His bounty (dono^) hath vouchsafed to call to His holy grace and benediction, and to the font of Baptism ; that he may be made His temple through the water of regeneration for remission of all sins." 1 The prayers at the consecration of the font were as follows : " Almighty, everlasting God, be present to the mysteries of Thy great lovingkindness ; be present to the sacraments ; and for the creation of the new multitudes whom the font of Baptism brings forth unto Thee, send out the Spirit of adoption (ad ereandos novas populos, quos tibi fons baptis- maiis parturit, spiritum adoptionis emitte) ; and grant that that which is to be done by our humble ministry may be completed by Thy effectual power ; through." a " O God, Who by Thy invisible power dost marvel- lously work the effect of Thine own sacraments, and although we be unworthy to perform so great mysteries, yet Thou forsakest not the gifts of Thine own grace, incline the ears of Thy lovingkindness even unto our prayers : God, Whose Spirit moved upon the face of the waters in the very beginning of the world, that even then the nature of waters might conceive a sanctifying virtue : O God, Who cleansing by means of waters the crimes of the guilty world, didst mark the symbol of regeneration by pouring forth the deluge, in order that one and the same element might mystically be both the end of vices and the beginning of virtues ; Look, O Lord, upon the face of Thy Church, and multiply in her Thy generations, 8 Who dost make glad Thy city by the rivers 1 Murut. p. 563. 1 Ibid. p. 568. The words are a reference to Ps. ciii. (civ.) 30. 3 For generationes, Hittorp's Ordo has regenerationes. It is a sign 238 At consecration of the font. of the flood of Thy grace, and dost open a fountain of Baptism 1 in all the world for the renewal of the nations, that by the command of Thy majesty it may acquire the grace of Thy Only Begotten from the Holy Spirit ; by Whom we pray that this water prepared for the regenera- tion of men may be impregnated (Jecundet) by the secret admixture of His light ; that it conceiving sanctification, there may emerge from the immaculate womb of the sacred font a heavenly offspring, born again a new creature, and that those of differing sex and age may all be brought forth by the motherhood of grace into one and the same Infancy. . . . May this holy and innocent creature of Thine be free from all invasion of the assailant, and purified by the departure of all wickedness. Let it be a living font, a regenerating water, 2 a purifying wave, that all who are to be washed in this saving layer may by the operation of the Holy Ghost upon them (in eis) obtain the favour of perfect purification." * After one or two benedictions of the water comes the following : - " Be Thou, Almighty God, mercifully present to us who observe Thy commandments, and in favourable kindness breathe upon us. Bless Thou these simple waters with Thine own mouth, that besides the natural cleansing which they can give to the bodies that are washed in them, they may be effectual also for the purifying of minds." of the antiquity of the prayer, which borrows from Ps. Ixiv. (Ixv.) 11, where the Vulgate (Jerome's revision of the Old Gallican) has genimina. The reading generationes is found in the version given by S. Hilary of Poitiers, though in his comments he uses genimina. Probably by the time of tlie Ordo the reference to the Psalm was lost, through the use of the newer text, and so the word was altered to regenerationea. 1 Zech. xiii. 1. * Aquae is probably a slip for aqua, as perfecti below for perfectae. Assem. ii. pp. 2, 3; Hittorp, p. 81. Blessings expected in Baptism. 239 " May the virtue of Thy Spirit descend into this fulness of the font, and impregnate (fecundet} this whole sub- stance of water with effectual regeneration. Here may all stains of sins be blotted out. Here may the nature created after Thine image, and reformed after its glorious original, be cleansed from all filth of old time, that every man who enters upon this sacrament of regeneration may be born again into the new Infancy of true innocence ; through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who shall come in the Holy Ghost to judge the quick and the dead and the world by fire." * The Ordo here adds the ceremony of pouring Chrism upon the water with the words (according to Hittorp's form), "May this font be hallowed and impregnated (fecundetur) to those who are born again of it unto eternal life." The Sacramentary proceeds immediately to the act of Baptism. There is here no sign of an expectation that the bap- tized will receive the Holy Ghost by the sacramental immersion. Very strong language is used about the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the water, but nothing is said about His descent upon the candidates. It is expected that they will be cleansed from sin, born again to a new childhood, a new creation, a heavenly offspring ; that they will receive grace and benediction ; that they will be made God's temple through the water of regenera- tion. All this will be effected by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the sending forth of the Spirit of adoption ; but there is nothing similar even to our own English invocation with the careful words of which I would not for a moment seem to find fault " Give Thy Holy Spirit to this infant that he may be born again." We turn next to the prayers at the consecration of the various Chrisms. This consecration took place annually on Maundy Thursday. The Mass on that day is called in 1 Asaem. ii. p. 4; Hittorp, pp. 81, 82. 240 Prayers over various Chrisms. the Sacramentary the Hissa Chrismalis. First came the exorcism and benediction of the oil for the unction of the sick and the possessed, immediately after the prayer of consecration of the Eucharist. " I exorcize thee, foul spirit, and every invasion of Satan, and every phantom, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, that thou depart from this oil, that it may be made a spiritual unction, for the strengthening (corroborandum') of the temple of the living God, that the Holy Spirit may be able to dwell in it, through the name of God the Father Almighty, and through the name of His beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ." l " Send out, Lord, Thy Spirit the Comforter from heaven upon this fatness of the olive, which Thou hast vouchsafed to produce from the green tree for the refresh- ment of mind and body ; and let Thy holy benediction be to all who anoint with it, taste it, or touch it, a protection of body, soul, and spirit, for the casting out of all pains, of all infirmities, and of all sickness of mind and body. Let Thy Chrism, wherewith Thou didst anoint priests, kings, prophets, and martyrs, be perfected by Thee, O Lord, and blessed, abiding in our inmost parts, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 3 Then, after the bishop had given the customary bless- ings and had received his Communion, began with great solemnity the consecration of what the Ordo calls "the principal Chrism." The bishop, mixing the balsam with the oil, prayed thus : " Let us pray our Lord Almighty, Who by a wonderful ordering hath joined inseparably the incomprehensible Divinity of His only begotten and coeternal Son with true manhood, and by the co-operation of the grace of the Holy Spirit anointed Him with the oil of gladness above 1 Hittorp. * Murat. p. 555. Prayers over various Chrisms. 241 His fellows, in order that man, who was ruined by the fraud of the devil, consisting of two materials in one (gemina et singulari materia), might be restored to the eternal inheritance from which he was fallen : that He would bless with the perfectness of the Holy Trinity these created liquids of diverse nature, and by blessing sanctify them, and grant that being mixed together they may be made one, and that whosoever shall therewith be outwardly anointed, may be so oiled inwardly, that being rid of all defilement of the material body he may rejoice to be made partaker of the heavenly kingdom ; through the same our Lord." "May this mixing of the liquids be made to all that are anointed a propitiation and a saving preservation for ever and ever." Then the oil was exorcized : " I exorcize thee, creature of oil, through God the Father Almighty, Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all things therein, that every power of the adversary, all the host of the devil, and every invasion and every phantom of Satan may be plucked out and driven away from thee, that thou mayest be to all, who shall be anointed with thee, unto the adoption of sons through the Holy Ghost, in the name of Grod the Father Almighty, and in the love of Jesus Christ His Son our Lord, Who with Him liveth and reigneth, God, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit for ever and ever." Then follows " The Lord be with you." "And with thy spirit." " Lift up your hearts." " We lift them up unto the Lord." " Let us give thanks unto " It is meet and right so to our Lord God." do." "It is very meet and right, and fitting and wholesome, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting U 242 Prayers over various Chrisms. God ; Who in the beginning, amidst the other gifts of Thy bounty, didst command the earth to bring forth trees bear- ing fruit, amongst which should spring np the olives which minister this rich liquid, whose fruit should serve for the sacred Chrism. For David also, knowing afore the sacra- ments of Thy grace by the Spirit of prophecy, sang that our countenances should be made cheerful with oil. And when of old the crimes of the world were discharged by the outpouring of the deluge, the dove, setting forth a likeness of the gift that was to come, announced by an olive branch that peace was restored to the earth. "Which in these last days is declared by most effectual proofs, when, all the crimes which we have committed being wiped out by the waters of Baptism, this Unction of oil makes our countenances joyful and calm. For this cause also Thou gavest commandment also to Thy servant Moses, that after his brother Aaron had been washed with water he should make him priest by pouring this ointment upon him. Greater honour than this was bestowed, moreover, when Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord had demanded to be washed of John with the waves of Jordan, by Thy sending Thy Holy Spirit from above in the likeness of a dove, and shewing, by the testimony of the voice that followed after, Thine Only Begotten, in Whom Thou wast well pleased, and thus making it most plain and evident that this was the meaning of the prophet David when he sang that He should be anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows. We therefore pray Thee, Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, by the same Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, that Thou wouldest vouchsafe to sanctify with Thy benediction the richness of this Thy creature, and to mingle therewith the virtue of Thy Holy Spirit, with the co-operation of the power of Thy Christ, from Whose holy name the Chrism hath taken its name, where- with Thou didst anoint priests and kings, prophets and martyrs; that to them which shall be renewed by the Prayers over various Chrisms. 243 Baptism of the spiritual washing Thou mayest confirm the creature of Chrism to be a sacrament of perfect salvation and life ; so that the sanctifying Unction being poured upon them, and the corruption of their first nativity being swallowed up, the holy temple of every one of them may give forth the innocent odour of an acceptable life ; that according to the sacrament of Thine appoint- ment, they, having poured upon them the royal and priestly and prophetic dignity, may be clothed with the garment of the incorruptible gift ] that it may be to those who shall be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, a Chrism of salvation, and that Thou mayest make them partakers of eternal life, and sharers of the heavenly glory ; through." After this followed the exorcism and consecration of the oil for the unction of catechumens, preliminary to Baptism. " I exorcize thee, creature of oil ... that this unction may be purified by the Divine sacraments for adoption of flesh and spirit to those who are to be anointed therewith for the remission of all sins ; that their bodies may be made hallowed for the receiving of all grace ; through." " God, the bountiful Giver of all spiritual increase and advancement, Who confirmest by the virtue of Thy Holy Spirit the first beginnings of weak minds, we pray Thee, O Lord, that Thou wouldest bestow upon those who are about to come to the laver of blessed regeneration, by means of anointing with this creature of Thine, the purifying of mind and body, that if any stains of spirits that war against them have cleaved to them, they may be removed by the touch of this consecrated oil. Let there be no place for spiritual wickednesses, no opportunity for rebel powers ; let no chance of lurking be left to evils that lie in ambush ; but let the preparation of this unction be to Thy servants who come to the faith, and are about to be cleansed by the operation of Thy Holy Spirit, useful 244 Prayers over various Chrisms. unto salvation, which they are about to obtain by the birth of heavenly regeneration in the sacrament of Baptism ; through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who shall come to judge the quick and the dead and the world by fire." l The corresponding prayers in the " Ambrosian " ritual of Milan, as given in Hittorp's Ordo, were as follows. Benediction of the oil for anointing the sick and the energumens : " Lord, Who in Thy care for the health of man hast imparted to Thy creatures the power of blessing, in order that for the use of the sanctifying of our souls, health in our times should be bestowed by the ministry even of bodily things, pour Thy sanctification upon this oil, that from the members therewith anointed, all snares of the adversary's pawer being put to flight, by the receiving of this present oil the healthful grace of the Holy Spirit may expel sickness and confer full recovery, in the name." For the anointing of the catechumens : " O Grod, the Designer and Ordainer of this sacrament, Who by the richness of this present liquid hast confirmed the bodies of the blessed and the hearts of high priests, and Who hast imparted to them by this Thy creature the nobility of that excellent name, that Thou shouldest make them Christs ; Who hast commanded the bishops, shining and running over therewith, to be preferred before their 1 In tliis part I have followed Hittorp's Ordo, which is clearer than the Sacramentary. The Sacramentary, after the consecration of the oil for the sick, and the completion of the Canon of the Mass, proceeds to the prayer given above as for the oil of the Catechumens, beginning, " O God, the bountiful Giver." Then comes the salutation and Sursum, with the Thanksgiving following ; and after that, the heading, "Also the Making of the Exorcised Oil." The balsam is here, mixed with the oil ; and the exorcism given above as for the " princi'pal Chrism " then follows, with some additions, and an unfinished fragment of a collect. Prayers over various Chrisms. 245 fellows, deeming it a worthy element whereby to bestow the pattern of innocence and of divers virtues ; may it please Thee by the infusion of the Holy Spirit to confirm and ennoble the substance of this present oil, long since pleasing unto Thee, that whatsoever in human kind shall be touched therewith, may be soon changed to a nature from above, nor let the ancient enemy claim for himself anything through the unction thereof, but see himself with sorrow made over to the darts of this blessed munition, and groan to find the pride of his old rage restrained by the oil of peace ; through Christ our Lord." The " Preface of the Chrism : " " With one heart and mind, beloved brethren, let us implore the merciful aid of God the Father Almighty, that this ointment, wherewith His people is to be robed in royal glory, may be by Him fortified with heavenly benediction and the force of His own power, and by the protection thereof His subjects may be kept for ever blessed, by grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who." The prayer "for 'completing the benediction of the Chrism " defies translation : " Sovereign Lord God, the anointed King, Author of the ointment, beauteous in Thy form, and more beauteous by reason of Thine unction, Who wast Thine own con- secrator, and art the consecrator of all; Who of Thy power sanctifiest the ointment, and of Thine ointment conse- cratest power; Who of the ointment hast made a Chrism, and of the Chrism the name which is above every name, that in that name Christians may have a royal unction ; in Thy name therefore let this Thy creature be now made a Chrism, and be used as a Chrism, the sign of the Cross, the mark of the brow, the token of a sacred warrior. By this Chrism may the hearing be soothed, sight purified, smelling be sweet, taste made savoury, touch be firm in. the Trinity ; that the soldiers of the Lord, being adorned with such pay, and moistened with ambrosial dew, may 246 Blessings expected through Unction. obey Thy command, not Thy persuasion, and being signed (signati) with the holy Chrism may be found meet to be heavenly standard-bearers (signiferi) ; through Thee, Christ Jesu, Saviour of the world, Who livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen." These prayers leave us in considerable uncertainty after all, what blessings in particular were supposed to be conveyed by means of the "principal Chrism." To be " inwardly oiled " (liniri) in such a way as to be rid of material defilements ; to be made a joyful partaker of the heavenly kingdom ; to find in the Chrism a " propitiation and a saving preservation for ever," and " the adoption of sons ; " to have the countenance made cheerful thereby, and be anointed with the oil of gladness ; to receive the grace which makes men kings and priests, prophets and martyrs; perfect salvation and life, the fragrance of a good conversation, fortification and protection ; these are the blessings attached to the use of the Chrism. These are not very determinate and tangible things to ask for the benefits of a well-used sacrament, rather than a special gift and it seems to be unmistakably clear that in the first instance the use of Unction was rather sym- bolical than sacramental. This impression is strengthened when we see the like indeterminateness in the words with which the Unction was applied. They have already been given from S. Ambrose and from Amalarius. Upon coming up out of the font, the "Infant" was anointed, "on the brain," according to the Sacramentary, by the presbyter, with the words " Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath regenerated thee of water and the Holy Ghost, and Who hath given unto thee forgiveness of all sins, Himself anointeth" (or, according to another reading, " anoint " ) " thee with the Chrism of salvation in Christ Jesu our Lord unto eternal life. Amen." Contrast presented by Confirmation prayer. 247 There is nothing more sacramental in the language concerning the " principal Chrism " than in that concern- ing the other unctions. The oil of catechumens was, according to the prayers, to contribute to adoption, to remission of all sins, to hallowing the body in prepara- tion for all grace, to purifying of mind and body, to change of nature, and defeat of all spiritual enemies. The oil of the sick, which came to be regarded as a separate sacrament, is more definitely described as serving for the "strengthening of the temple of the living God (i.e. the body), that the Holy Ghost may be able to dwell in it," and for " the casting out of all pains and of all infirmity, and of all sickness of mind and body." At the same time, its original connexion with the baptismal unction is indicated by the mention, in the prayer of con- secration, of the anointing of priests, kings, prophets, and martyrs. It was really the same thing applied for a special purpose. The full force and significance of this hazy indefinite- ness about the Chrism will now be felt when we pass to the act by which the Baptism was completed. The Ordo Eomanus gives the following direction : " The pontiff, coming to the Infants, while the archdeacon holds the Chrism, his shoulders and arms wrapped in linen cloth, his hands raised and imposed over the heads of them all, shall offer prayer over them, with invocation of the seven- fold grace of the Holy Spirit." A shorter and more ancient rubric is given by Muratori from the Gelasian Sacramentary : " Then the sevenfold Spirit is given to them by the bishop ; to seal them (ad consignandurn) he lays his hand upon them in these words : " Almighty God, the Father oi our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast regenerated Thy servants of water and the Holy Ghost, and Who hast given unto them forgiveness of all sins; do Thou, O Lord, send upon them (in eos) Thy 248 At Imposition of Hands and the Seal. Holy Ghost the Comforter ; and give them the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness ; fill them with the Spirit of the fear of God, in the name of our Lord Jesns Christ, with Whom Thou livest and reignest, God for ever, with the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. " Afterwards he seals (signaf) them on the forehead with the Chrism, saying - " The seal of Christ unto eternal life. Amen." Hittorp's Ordo Romanus, following the Gregorian Sacra- mentary, 1 has the prayer in a slightly different form, as we have seen it quoted by Amalarius, except that Amalarius gives it in the singular, as if said over each one separately, while the Ordo gives it in the plural. It includes the word septiformis : " Almighty, Everlasting God, Who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these Thy servants and Thy handmaidens of water and the Holy Ghost, and Who hast given unto them forgiveness of all sins, send forth upon them Thy holy sevenfold Spirit the Comforter from heaven. Amen. The Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Amen. The Spirit of counsel and might. Amen. The Spirit of knowledge and godliness. Amen. Fill them with the Spirit of Thy fear. Amen. And seal them with the seal of the Cross of Christ, in mercy, unto eternal life ; through. Amen. " The prayer ended, the deacons asking the names of all, one by one, the pontiff, dipping his thumb in the Chrism, shall make a cross upon the forehead of each, saying thus-: " I confirm thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. " Peace be with thee. And with thy spirit. " Again, when all are confirmed, he says these verses : 1 Marat, vol. ii. p. 65. After Confirmation. 249 "Lo, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord bless you out of Sibn, that ye may see Jerusalem in prosperity all the days of your life. The Lord keep you in His most holy fear ; Who liveth. " Peace be with you. And with thy spirit. " God, Who gavest to Thy Apostles the Holy Ghost, and through them and their successors didst will that He should be transmitted to the rest of the faithful, look favourably upon our humble service, and grant that the same Holy Ghost, coming to the hearts of them whose brows we have anointed with the sacred Chrism and sealed with the seal of the Cross, may by His gracious indwelling perfect them into a temple of His glory ; through : in the unity of the same Holy Spirit." We have no African Sacramentary left to us ; nor is it likely to have presented any marked divergence of doctrine from the Eoman. The Gallican and other Western forms known to us are precisely similar in tone. The Gothic Missal seems to recall the words of Tertullian when it asks for the descent of the Angel upon the water of Baptism ; but the Angel appears to be afterwards identi- fied with the Comforter Spirit. 1 Marat, vol. ii. pp. 590, 591. CHAPTER IV. THE CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA. THE Church of Alexandria stands in much the same kind of relation to the Eastern Church at large as the African Church does to that of the West. On the special doctrine of which we are treating it is not to be expected that Alexandria will offer any very dis- tinctive type of expression ; but there seem to have been points, even in this limited department of theology, in which the tone of that most remarkable Church varied from the tone of its Greek neighbours. In particular, it would appear that at Alexandria the Laying on of Hands, as distinguished from the Chrism, continued to be a living rite, and associated with a very vigorous doctrine, at a time when it was practically lost to sight in other parts of the East. A fitting introduction to the witness of the known divines of that Church will be found in a work whose authorship is involved in a cloud of un- certainties. This is the ancient manual, first brought before the modern public by Dr. Tattam, Archdeacon of Bedford, in 1848, under the title of The Apostolic The Egyptian Constitutions. 251 Constitutions or Canons of the Apostles in Coptic. Dr. Tattam's manuscript was only written in the year " 1520 of Diocletian," i.e. A.D. 1804 ; but its contents are a translation by the scribe himself from the Thebaic dialect of Upper Egypt, into that of Lower Egypt or Memphitic. Dr. Tattam possessed a copy also, though an incomplete copy, of the Thebaic original ; and Bishop Lightfoot l has given an account of a fuller Thebaic manuscript of the same preserved in the British Museum. This fuller manuscript has now been printed at length by Lagarde, 2 and a careful translation of it into German has been published by Achelis in Gebhardt and Harnack's Texte und Unter- suchungen (bd. VI. hft. 4). 3 The Canons are, no doubt, translated from a Greek original ; and there is no question that they emanate from a genuinely Alexandrian source. The Church of Alexandia was always distinguished for the pains which it took in the preparation of its candidates for Holy Baptism. No other Christian community could boast of anything like its Cate- chetical School. Quite in keeping with this special glory of the Egyptian Church, the Egyptian Consti- tutions go very fully into the discipline of the postulants for admission to the Christian fold. A catechumenate of three years is prescribed before Baptism though an abridgement of the time is 1 8. Clement of Rome (First Edition) App. 273, 466. Aegyptiaca p. 207 (Gottingae, 1883.) * Lagarde's own translation of the Coptic Canons into Greek (but not from the MS. described by Bishop Lightfoot) is to be found in Buusen's Analecta, Antenicaem vol ii. pp. 4G1, foil. 252 The Egyptian Constitutions permitted in cases of exceptional fitness. The master of the catechumens (as we know to have been the case at Alexandria) might be either an ecclesiastic or a layman. When the day of Baptism approached, the bishop was bidden to administer to the candidates a preliminary "exorcism, that he might know that they were pure." Those who stood this test and were accepted as candidates for Baptism were to fast on the "preparation of the Sabbath," the Friday pre- sumably before Easter. The Sabbath following they spent on their knees, in common prayers, amidst which they were again exorcized by the bishop, with im- position of the hand, and sealing of the brow, and of the ears, and of the mouth. This done, the bishop raised them from their knees, and they spent the whole night watching, and listening to readings and exhortations. As soon as the cock crew, the water was turned on or poured into the font, and prayers were offered over it. Then follow these directions : "And at the time appointed for the Baptism, let the bishop give thanks over the oil which, putting into a vessel, he shall call the oil of Thanksgiving. Again he shall take another oil, and exorcizing over it, he shall call it the oil of Exorcism. And a deacon shall bear the oil of Exorcism, and stand on the left hand of the presbyter. 1 Another deacon shall take 1 The name of presbyter continued for a long time in Egypt to be specially given to the bishop. Therefore perhaps the presbyter is here the same person who has just been called the bishop; but it seems quite as likely that the bishop was not present at the actual Baptism, but awaited the newly baptized in the church. on Baptism and Confirmation. 253 the oil of Thanksgiving, and stand on the right hand of the presbyter. And when the presbyter has taken hold of each one of those who are about to receive Baptism, let him command him to renounce, saying, ' I will renounce thee, Satan, and all thy service, and all thy works.' And when he has renounced all these, let him anoint him with the oil of Exorcism, saying, ' Let every spirit depart from thee.' " They were then thrice dipped in the water, the children first, then the grown men, and then the women, the deacon going down with them into the water and repeating before them the words in which they were required to confess their faith. After the immersion, each was again questioned about his belief. " Let him again say, ' I believe/ And let them go up out of the water ; and the presbyter shall anoint him with the oil of Thanksgiving, saying, ' I anoint thee with holy anointing oil, in the name of Jesus Christ.' Thus he shall anoint every one of the rest, and clothe them, and they shall enter into the church." As soon as they were come into the church, followed their full Confirmation. "Let the bishop lay his hand upon them with yearning, saying, ' Lord God, as Thou hast made these worthy to receive the forgiveness of their sins unto the coming world, make them worthy to be filled with Thy Holy Spirit, and send down upon them Thy grace, that they may serve Thee according to Thy will ; for Thine is the glory, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the holy Church, now and always, and for ever and ever.' And he shall pour 254 Similarity of their teaching of the oil of Thanksgiving in his hand, and put his hand upon his head, saying, ' I anoint thee with the holy anointing oil, through God the Father Almighty, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.' And he shall seal upon his forehead, kissing him on the mouth, and he shall say, ' The Lord be with thee/ He who hath been sealed shall answer, 'And with thy spirit/ each one doing thus with the remaining. And let all the people pray together. And all those who receive Baptism shall be praying: let them say peace with their mouths." * A careful examination of this most interesting set of regulations shews how nearly akin the baptismal doctrine of the early Alexandrian Church was to that of the Church which least resembled it in general character, the African Church of Tertullian's time. All the ceremonies described form parts of one un- divided sacrament, the triple immersion, the anoint- ings, the laying on of the hand, and the sign upon the brow ; but they are not confused together in one spiritual effect. Of these rites, the first, as is shewn by the bishop's subsequent prayer, conveys " the for- giveness of sins in the coming world." The second the Oil of Thanksgiving, occupies, as in Tertullian, a position doctrinally obscure. Whether as ad- ministered by the "presbyter" immediately aftei Baptism, or as administered by the bishop after the Laying on of Hands, the second time upon the fore- head, the first time we may suppose, from the absence of special directions, upon the head, this unction 1 Tattara Apostolical Constitutions pp. 48-62 ; Achelis I.e. pp. 92-99. with that of Tertullian. 255 appears to be scarcely regarded as a vehicle of grace, but rather as a symbol of rejoicing in the gifts already given by the other two rites respectively. It may also be concluded that the name by which this oil ia described in the formula of unction, " holy anointing oil," implicitly involves the doctrine of Tertullian that the persons anointed are thereby consecrated priests. 1 But the prayer at the Laying on of the Hand, with its clear recognition of forgiveness already bestowed, nay, even recalling Tertullian's silence about regenera- tion in the baptismal waters, is just such as Tertul- lian describes, " with blessing invoking and inviting the Holy Ghost." Its language has not yet, indeed, reached the full explicitness of the formula of S. Ambrose. The doctrine of the Holy Ghost was as yet altogether undeveloped. But the prayer so like in structure to the later Western prayer as to suggest an exceedingly early common source for both implies distinctly that the baptized have "not obtained the Holy Spirit in the waters." It prays that they may be " filled " with Him, and that the gift may fit them for faithful service in the world. If the date of these Constitutions is as early as I believe that we are right in supposing it to be, they bring much light to the interpretation of phrases which we find scattered up and down in the writings of S. Clement of Alexandria. S. Clement, 2 the pupil and 1 See Exodus xxx. 25, 30, 31. It is even noticeable in this con- nexion that Tertullian makes no reference to kingship as bestowed by the baptismal Unction ; see above, p. 60. Achelis,' however, gives no separate word to represent " anointing oil." * So we may continue to call him, although Benedict XIV. struck him off the list. 256 Clement of Alexandria successor of Pantaenus (who was the earliest known master of the Catechetical School in that city), was contemporary with Tertullian, being born not long after the year 150. Amongst his earlier teachers was a certain " Ionian," whom Bishop Lightfoot is inclined to identify with the famous Melito of Sardis, the first author known to have written upon Holy Baptism. 1 From this Ionian he must have derived the story of S. John and the young robber, in which we are told that the bishop to whom the young man was entrusted by the Apostle, " Nourished him, kept him in, fostered him, at last enlightened him. And after this, he withdrew from further care and guardianship of him, as having set upon him the perfect safeguard, the seal of the Lord." 2 It cannot with any certainty be affirmed that the "seal" here spoken of means absolutely and only the application of the anointing oil to the forehead, of which the Constitutions make mention. Rather, it appears to gather up what has just been called the young man's " enlightenment." That the " enlighten- ment" is a synonym for Baptism there can be no doubt. But if the Constitutions describe a discipline with which Clement was familiar, there can be as little doubt that the title of the " seal," as applied to Baptism, meant, to him, Baptism culminating in that special act, and perfected by it. Baptism as a whole may be the seal, but usually, at least, it is in virtue of its concluding ceremony that it bears that name. 3 1 Essays on Supernal. Religion p. 224. * Quit Dives 42 (p. 959 Potter). * But see above, p. 54. on the " Seal of the Lord" 257 That the seal sometimes, at least, meant for Clement an action distinct from Baptism, is clear from the complaint which he makes against the Basilidean doctrine which reduced man to an animal, acting automatically upon an external stimulus. Repentance and faith, he says, are thus abolished, and we are left "without reason either for Baptism, or for the blessed Seal (owSt /3a7n-t), a voice from heaven resounded to Him in testimony to the Beloved, 'Thou art My Son; I have to-day begotten Thee.' Let us ask these wise men, then, Is Christ, having been ' born again to-day/ already perfect, or is He, a monstrous supposition, deficient? If the latter, He needs to learn somewhat additional. But it is not to be supposed that He, being God, can acquire any additional knowledge whatsoever. No one can be greater than the Word, nor the teacher, assuredly, of the Only Teacher. Will they, then, unwillingly acknowledge that the Word, sprung perfect from a 260 "Enlightenment" as applied to Father who is perfect, was, according to the design of Providence, born again perfectly ? And if He was perfect, why was the Perfect One undergoing baptism ? It was necessary for Him, they say, to fulfil the profession which it behoved man to make. Very good ; I say the same. Does He then become perfect at the same time that He is baptized by John ? Evidently. Then He received no further knowledge from him ? No. But He is perfected by the laver alone, and sanctified by the descent of the Spirit? Yes, that is so. Well, the same takes place also in connexion with ourselves, whose pattern the Lord is made. Being baptized, we are enlightened ; being enlightened, we are adopted as sons ; being adopted, we are perfected ; being perfected, we are rendered immortal. ' I,' such are the words, ' have said, Ye are Gods and ye are all sons of the Highest.' But this work bears various names, gift of grace, and en- lightenment, and perfection, and laver (^ap/o-jua, KOI 0(urto//a, icai reXetov, icat XOUT|OOV) ; laver, by means of which we are cleansed from the filth of sins ; gift of grace, whereby the penalties due to our sins are remitted; enlightenment, through which that holy light which is our salvation is set before our eyes, that is, our sight is quickened to see God (TO Otiov b%v(i)Trovfj.tv) ; by perfection we understand the lack of nothing ; for what is still wanting to one who knows God ? " 1 The predominant aspect of Baptism presented in l Paed. i. 6 (pp. 112, 113 Potter). Compare the noble passage, Prophet. Eclog. 5. Baptism; wJiat does it include 261 these sentences is the intellectual aspect. Baptism is perfection; perfection is the knowledge of God. If Christ's " regeneration " an expression found in other ancient authors also * made Him perfect, He had no longer anything to learn. But the words of Clement involve more than a mere impartition of doctrine at Baptism. Not to mention the forgiveness of sins, 2 Baptism is regeneration and adoption ; and, if Christ's Baptism is the "pattern" of ours, Baptism is also the " descent of the Spirit," and consequent sanctifica- tion. Now all these are, according to S. Clement, comprised in " perfection," and perfection is, he tells us, obtained by " the laver alone." There is nothing to come after the laver. Yet undoubtedly in the " laver alone " Clement includes a whole sequence of baptismal rites. It is " while Christ is actually being baptized " that the voice from heaven is heard, though Clement was well aware that the moment of the im- mersion was over, and that our Lord was coming or come up out of the water before that sign was given. Clement, therefore, does not mean to affirm that in the sacrament of Baptism itself there was no need of any further rite after the laver, but that after that sacrament, taken as a whole, the baptized was to be considered a perfect and fully " enlightened " Christian. We may now proceed to inquire what other bap- tismal rites are recognised by Clement, and what 1 E.g. Max. Taur. Horn. xxx. * It is remarkable that the word xdpnrfj.a should not make Clement think of anything more positive than the bounty of a free pardon. 262 Clement on Unction efficacy he ascribed to them. From the nature of this Father's language it would be dangerous to affirm that Unction was practised in his day, if there were no independent grounds for supposing such to be the case. It seems, however, indisputable that the custom must have been universally used in Clement's time; and there is at any rate one passage in his writings in which (if the reading is correct) he makes a direct and literal reference to it. The passage is one in which he describes the life of the true " Gnostic." Amongst other features of his self-discipline, he " the truly royal man/' the " holy priest of God," " Does not admit those spectacular pleasures (already referred to), nor those diversions which come through other enjoyments, such as costly odours which bewitch the sense of smell, or elaborate viands and the enjoyment of various wines that entice the taste, . . . but always first referring to God the solemn enjoyment, whether of food, or of drink, or of unction, he offers the beginning to the Bestower of all, giving Him thanks, both by means of the Gift and of the Anointing, and by means of the rational nature that was given to him." x 1 Strom, vii. 7 (p. 852 Potter). The words are, in Potter's edition, iravriav Se r^v ffffj.v^v a.ic6\a.vffiv 4irl rbr 6tbv avaycrybv del, Kai rys Ppufffias Kal TOV ir6(ji.aTos Kal TOV xpifffJMTOs, T Sorrjpt riev '6\wv airdpxf- TOI, X*P ll> t>no\oywv, Kal Sia Trjs Soipeas Kal Trjs xp^o-ews, Kal Sia \6yov TOV SoOfvros avrcf. But the only manuscript at this point gives Xptffftas instead of x.P^i ffpea is used absolutely, to mean the Eucharist (see Suicer s.r.), and that, in accordance with the twice (not thrice) repeated Sio, S. Clement speaks of a twofold mode of consecrating the use of " food and drink and unction," (1) by their application in sacraments, (2) by intelligent employment in common life. It is noticeable that the " Gnostic " is described only a few lines before as kiug and priest, a combination which Clement says is " still preserved among the best advised of the barbarians." 1 Excerpt. Tlieodot. 82. 2 It might aecm from the special mention of " thanksgiving " in the 264 The unction of the Spirit We have seen that Tertullian, Clement's contem- porary, considered the gift of the Spirit to be the restoration of man to the likeness of that God in whose image he was made. The same thought is not unfrequently set forth by Clement, who seems to make the commencement of this restora- tion identical with regeneration. He says, for instance : " I believe that He (i.e. the Word) both formed man out of the dust, and begat him again with water, and increased him with the Spirit, and tutored him with the spoken word, unto adoption and salvation, direct- ing him with holy commandments, for this very purpose that by a progressive transformation of the earthborn man into a holy and heavenly man, He might specially fulfil that Divine utterance, ' Let Us make man after Our image, and after Our likeness.' And indeed Christ has become fully all that God here speaks of ; but other men are conceived of after the image only. But we, O children of a good Father, pupils of a good Tutor, let us fulfil the Father's will ; let us ever hear the Word ; and let us take the im- press of our Saviour's truly saving life, from this very moment practising the heavenly conversation, according to which becoming transformed into Divine (EK0Eov/uEi/o), let us always be anointed with the unction which is ever fresh in delight and unspoiled in fragrance, having for a visible pattern of immor- passage from the Stromateis, that S. Clement's view of the value of the Unction is exactly that of the Constitutions, in which, as we have seen, it is specially called " the Oil of Thanksgiving," see p. 252. restores the likeness of God. 265 tality the conversation of the Lord, and following the steps of God." 1 All men, says Clement, bear the image of God ; Christ alone (in His humanity) perfectly attained His likeness, but He takes the believer and puts him in the way to attain that likeness. The first' step toward the attainment is the being " begotten again with water, and increased with the Spirit;" after which follows the lifelong discipline of imitating the example and obeying the precepts of Christ. Clement's expression, " begat him again with water, and increased him with the Spirit," already appears to suggest two different movements of Divine grace, not one and the same; and Bishop Lowth, in his contributions to Potter's edition, does not hesitate to refer the words which follow, " always anointed with the unction which is ever fresh," to " the Chrism used in Baptism," which would, no doubt, answer to the " increase " spoken of. Commending the pure charity which the Gospel teaches, as against the attractions of physical beauty, S. Clement speaks of the Christian as " Exhibiting to the angels which preside over the 1 Paed. i. 12 (p. 156 Potter); see the note there. S. Clement con- siders the " image " to belong to man as man, the " likeness " to be attained by the Christian who diligently uses the grace and the reve- lation of God; comp. Cohort, ad Grace. 12 (p. 94 Potter), "We may well now say and believe that the godly Christian alone ... is an image of God and His likeness as well (eixJca rov 0eou yu0' dpotiixrecos), being made by Christ Jesus righteous and holy with prudence, and, to that extent, already like to God. The prophet does not conceal this grace, saying, ' I said, Ye are Gods and ye are all sons of the Highest ' ; for He has adopted us, yes, even us, and wills to be called our Father and ours only, not the Father of those who disobey Him " 266 What Clement considers to be upward road, by way of a holy token, the mark (xo/ooicT}/3a), the shining mark, of righteousness, I speak of the chrisrn of well pleasing (TO \pfafjia TIJC t ia/t> indeed surprisingly rare. Texts in the Psalms, for instance, and in the Song of Songs, which suggest to other writers a mention of the Chrism, are other- wise interpreted by Origen. I do not remember any passage in which he speaks directly of it, except one where, discussing the birth "from above," he says, in support of that rendering of the word avuOtv : " To establish the fact that the baptism is ' from above,' we shall not do ill to join to the Holy Spirit those ' waters which be above the firmament ' and ' praise the Lord.' And although according to the form traditionally delivered to the Churches (secun- dwm typum ecclesiis traditum) we have all been bap- tized in the visible waters, and in the visible Chrism, yet (only) he who has died to sin, and is truly bap- tized in Christ's death, and is buried with Him by Baptism into death, is truly baptized in the Holy Ghost and the water which is from above." 1 The introduction of the Chrism here is abrupt and unexpected. It seems to be explained by the contrast between these two outward elements in Baptism, and the two celestial counterparts. Over against the visible waters stands the "water which is from above," with its cleansing and regenerating effect; 1 Comment, in Kp. ad Rom. lorn vi. 8 (p. 561 D M : gne). 274 O rig en on the Laying on of Hands. over against the visible Chrism is set the gift of the Holy Ghost. Both the water and the Chrism are parts of Baptism, and that by widespread and authori- tative tradition. Origen's language about the Laying on of Hands is precisely that in which the Pseudo-Prirnasius at a later time summed the matter up. The only differ- ence is that Origen does not positively speak of the usage as still continued in the Church of his own day, or (if so) as followed by the same effects. The Laying on of Hands was, or had been, in Origen's view an integral part of Baptism, but not an otiose, or merely symbolical part. It conveyed the supreme gift. "In the Acts of the Apostles," he says, "through the Laying on of the apostolic Hands the Holy Ghost was given (dabatur) in Baptism." x And again, after shewing from various other Scrip- tures that the Holy Ghost is not in all men, but in those who have received a special renovation which fits them for His indwelling, he adds : "Lastly, it is for this reason that the grace and revelation of the Holy Ghost was delivered (tra- debatur) through the Laying on of the Hands of the Apostles, after Baptism." 2 These two sentences balance one another. What is said in the one to be given " in Baptism," is said in the other to be given "after Baptism." It all de- pends upon the latitude allowed to that word. If Baptism includes Confirmation, as it did in apostolic days, then the Holy Ghost is given " in " it. If Bap- 1 De Princ. I. Hi. 2 (p. 61). " Ibid. 1 (p. 63). Baptism a preparation for the Spirit. 275 tism means only what it passes for in modern English parlance, then the Holy Ghost is given " after " it, and Baptism is a preparation for the gift, a renewal which qualifies a man to receive it. From the context in which these sentences occur, it will be seen that Origen had no intention of suggest- ing that the apostolic practice was different from that of his own time. Rather, if anything, he is justifying the practice of his own time by showing that it was the practice of the Apostles. And although I am not aware of any other place in his works where he explicitly speaks of the acts which constitute Confir- mation, he very plainly and repeatedly implies that the special bestowal of the Holy Spirit's indwelling must be looked for after Baptism (in the restricted sense), not in it. " It should be known," he says in one place, " that the washing by means of the water, symbolical as it is of the cleansing of the soul, as she washes off every stain that comes from wickedness, is, ... to him who yields himself to the divine power of the invocations of the adorable Trinity, the beginning and source of spiritual gifts (>} xppcopatvv apx 1 ? Kf " ^T*)) 1 - For there is a diversity of spiritual gifts. The statement is sup- ported by the account recorded in the Acts of the Apostle's, how the Holy Qhost in those days so evidently took up His abode in those who were being baptized, His way being made ready in advance (in the case of genuine receivers) by the water (rote /3a7rrto/.i!votc iTriStStf/irjictvat, TrpowTptiriaavTOQ avr^J TOV 1 Compare Comment, in loann. torn. ii. 6, p. 62. 276 Baptism unfinished witlwut Conformation. 6Sov), that even Simon the sorcerer in astonish- ment desired to receive this grace from Peter, though he desired to gain that which is most righteous by means of the mammon of unrighteousness. And we may here observe that the baptism of John was inferior to the Baptism of Jesus given by means of His disciples. For those who, in the Acts, had been baptized into the baptism of John, not having so much as heard that there is any Holy Ghost, are baptized a second time by the Apostle. For the (Baptism) of the new birth was not to be found with John, but with Jesus by means of His disciples the washing of regeneration, as it is called, accompanied by renewing of the Spirit, which even now moves (for He is from God) upon the face of the water, though He does not come to be in all after the water." 1 Words could hardly be more remarkable than those in which Origen describes the Samaritan converts as still in process of being baptized when the Apostles laid their hands on them. Though the process had been arrested, and delayed a long enough time to allow word to reach Jerusalem and the Apostles to make their journey down to Samaria, yet Origen regards the men as still /3a7mo/.ivot, midway in the recep- tion of the sacrament. Part of it had been admin- istered already, that part of it which was preparatory 1 Comm. in loann. torn. vL 17, p. 133. Compare Comm. in Matt. torn. xv. 23, p. 685, " This regeneration (Matt. xix. 28) is preluded by that which Paul calls the laver of regeneration, and this newness by that which ia implied to move over the laver of regeneration in (he expression 'renewing of the Spirit.'" Here the same twofold grace of baptism is intended " Washing unto Salvation" 277 to the coming of the Holy Ghost, namely the purifying and regenerating water, but the Baptism was not yet ended. The washing was indeed necessary to the reception of the Holy Ghost, and is, therefore, " the beginning and source " of the various spiritual gifts ; but it is but a part of Baptism after all. He who " moves over the water " of Baptism waits till " after the water " to plant His indwelling presence in those who are baptized. These explicit words must be borne in mind when we find Origen in other less explicit passages implying that the receiving of the Holy Ghost is the great thing to be desired in Baptism, to fail of which is to fail of everything. Thus, commenting on Ezek. xvi. 4, aqua non es lota in salutem, he says : " Not all are ' washed unto salvation.' We who have received the grace of Baptism in the name of Christ, have been washed ; but I know not which has been washed unto salvation. Simon was washed ; and, after obtaining Baptism, he continued in Philip's company, but because he was not washed unto sal- vation, he was condemned by him who said to him in the Holy Ghost, ' Thy money perish with thee.' It is a matter of tremendous difficulty for him who is washed to be washed unto salvation. Attend, O catechumens ; listen ; and in consequence of what you hear, prepare yourselves while you are still cate- chumens, while you are as yet unbaptized ; that you may come to the laver and be washed unto salvation, and not be washed after the fashion of some, who have been washed, but not unto salvation of him 278 Receiving the water and not the Spirit. who receives the water and does not receive the Spirit. He who is washed unto salvation, receives both the water and the Holy Ghost. Because Simon was not washed unto salvation, he received the water, but did not receive the Holy Ghost, thinking that the gift of the Spirit could be purchased with money, and so his washing was not unto salvation." 1 Or again : " I speak of some catechumens, with whom, it may be, many also of those who have already obtained Baptism are joined. ' They are not all Israelites who are of Israel ; ' nor are all who have been washed with the water washed then and there with the Holy Spirit also; just as, on the other hand, not all who are numbered among the catechumens, are strangers to the Holy Spirit and destitute of Him. For I find in the Divine Scriptures that several catechumens were considered meet for the Holy Ghost ; and that others, after receiving Baptism, were unworthy of the grace of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius was a catechu- men ; and before he came to the water, he was held deserving to receive the Holy Ghost. Simon had received Baptism ; but because he came to the grace with hypocrisy, he is repelled from the gift of the Holy Ghost. I would not have you to doubt that there are now among the numbers of catechumens some Cor- neliuses, to whom it may be said, ' Thine alms and thy prayers are gone up into heaven,' and again that there are among the number of the Faithful some Simons, to whom it must be said unhesitatingly, ' O full of all 1 In Ezech. Horn. vi. 5 (p. 378), Theognostiis on Baptism. 279 deceit and guile, thou son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness.'" 1 Such passages show very decidedly that to " receive the water and not to receive the Holy Ghost" is to make a disastrous failure, and that any rightly qualified candidate for Baptism "receives both the water and the Holy Ghost ; " yet they do not mean that Origen expected the gift of the Holy Ghost to be conveyed by the baptismal water itself, except so far as the baptismal water is normally a preparation for receiving it. Origen's Alexandrian contemporary, Theognostus, as quoted by S. Athanasius, appears in like manner to have regarded Baptism as a complex sacrament, in which the gift of the Spirit is the climax and the completion. Speaking of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, and the reason why it is more fatal than blasphemy against the Son, he says (as Origen also does) that the latter is the sin of catechumens, while the former is the sin of those who have received " the doctrine delivered at the perfecting and the participa- tion of the Spirit " (iirt ry rsAaojcrft KOI ry TOW irvtiifiaroQ / u6TO Xy)- " ^ ne Son," he adds, " condescends to the imperfect, but the Spirit is the seal of those who are perfected " (TWV TtXaoujuevwv). 2 If we may interpret the language of Theognostus by what we have seen in Clement, then the "perfecting" will mean the 1 In Num. Horn. iii. 1 (p. 280). Comp. in Levit. Horn. vi. 2 (p. 216); in Num. Horn. vi. 3 (p. 287). The word "Faithful" is, of course, used in its technical sense, as equivalent to " baptized." * Ap. Athan. Epist. IV. ad Scrap. 11. 280 Denys on Baptism. sacrament by which the catechumen passes fully into the circle of Christian believers. Baptism is the " per- fecting " ; and it includes the " seal " and " the partici- pation of the Spirit," There can be little question what part of the baptismal sacrament is the most prominently before the eyes of Theognostus as he writes these words. Of the letters on Baptism written by Origen's disciple " the great Bishop of Alexandria," * Denys, unhappily fragments only have been preserved to us. They were written in the height of the controversy between Cyprian and Stephen. Denys himself was on the side of acknowledging the validity of heretical baptisms, but earnestly deprecated the hasty excom- munication of those who took the opposite course. If we had had the full text of his writings, we should no doubt have found that he would have assented to the teaching of the author De Rebaptixmate, or S. Cyprian either, regarding the relation of Confirmation to Baptism, but his extant words do not touch upon the point He only uses the universal language which connects the indwelling of the Holy Ghost indefinitely with Baptism, though at the same time he seems to admit the possibility of a return of the Holy Ghost after forfeiture, perhaps alluding to the imposition of hands by which he held that the penitent ought to be received back from schism.* Eo. Hi*. Efd. VII. praej. * Ap. Ens. Hut. Eed. VIL 8 : T*V Athanasius on regeneration. 281 There are no further words from Alexandria, that I know of, bearing upon the subject until we reach S. Athanasius, who succeeded to the Evangelical See sixty-one years after it had been vacated by Denys. There is no reason to think that the doctrine of Baptism had undergone any noticeable change in the meanwhile, but the undoubted works of Athanasius do not directly examine the relation between the component parts of the sacrament It is plain that Athanasius regarded the impartition of the Spirit and the regeneration of the sons of God as being so closely connected that the latter was the consequence of the former, if not actually identical with it. Thus, for instance, dwelling on the difference between our sonship by grace and Christ's by nature, he speaks of men as " Having received the Spirit by way of participation (o ntra /utro^nv xvtw/ua Aa^Sovrtc) ; concerning whom also He said, ' I begat and reared up sons, and they set me at naught.' No doubt, because they were not sons by nature, therefore, when they turned away, the Spirit was taken from them, and they were dis- owned, and moreover when they repent, He will receive them again and, giving them the light, will again call them sons." * It does not appear to have occurred to this great champion of the Godhead of the Son and of the Spirit to discriminate between the motion which imparts the Divine nature and that which implants the Divine indwelling; and in this way also it comes 1 <**. L & Arimm. 37. 282 Athanasius on Unction about that when he has occasion to speak of the successive bestowals of the Spirit at the Paschal and Pentecostal seasons, he seems not to observe any difference between them. But if so, a careful examination of the language of Athanasius will shew, not that he attributed the gift of the Spirit to the first act in Baptism by itself, but that he rather attributed the notion of regenera- tion and sonship to the sacrament as a whole, com- pleted by Unction and Imposition of Hands. About Unction S. Athanasius only speaks in the indirect way which is common among the fathers, using the language of Holy Scripture which, were it not for other information, would leave it doubtful whether an external rite was alluded to or not. This may serve for an example : "The Spirit is called Unction; He is also Seal. John writes, 'And the unction which ye received from Him abideth in you, and ye have no need that any teach you, but as His Unction ' His Spirit ' teacheth you concerning all things.' In the prophet Isaias it is written, ' The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me.' Paul says, ' In whom, having believed, ye were sealed unto a day of redemp- tion.' . . . The Unction has the sweet savour and smell of Him who anoints ; and those who are anointed, partaking of this unction, say, ' We are a sweet savour of Christ.' The Seal has the form of Christ who seals, and those who are sealed partake of this form, being themselves formed in accordance with it, as the Apostle says, 'My little children, with whom I and on Laying on of Hands. 283 travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you.' " l It is evident that in saying " those who are anointed," " those who are sealed," the writer means distinctly those who undergo the rites so called in the Church ; though, of course, he might have been otherwise interpreted if such rites had not been known to exist in his time. About the Laying on of Hands Athanasius speaks with no uncertainty at any rate in referring to the past. It is an important factor in the process by which men are born again in Christ. Contending for the difference between the word "Spirit" when placed by itself, and when accompanied by the definite article or some other word which shews that the Holy Ghost is intended, he says : " Indeed, without the article or such an addition as I have spoken of, the Holy Ghost would not be meant. Take, for instance, what S. Paul writes to the Galatians, ' This only would I learn of you, did ye receive the Spirit (TO Trvtujua) by works of law, or by hearing of faith ? ' What spirit had they received but the Holy Ghost, given to those who believe and are being born again (avayevvwptvoic?) through the laver of re- generation ? " Thus far the question is left open, at what exact moment, and by what act, in the process of regenera- tion, S. Athanasius believed that Spirit to have been given. It would even seem as if he looked no further than the laver. But a few sentences lower, the matter becomes plain : 1 Epist. I. ad Serap. 23. 284 Laying on of Hands is a " Summing up the whole revelation of God and the perfecting of US (TTJV wao-av OtoXoyiav KOL rrjv i7/*wv TsAetWtv), whereby He would unite us to Himself and through Himself to the Father, in this sentence, He charged His disciples, ' Go ye, make all the nations disciples, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.' And having promised to send Him to them, He charged them 1 not to depart from Jerusalem ; ' and after a few days . . . ' they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, according as the Spirit gave them utterance.' From that time therefore also by the Laying on of the Apostles' Hands the Holy Ghost was given to those who were being born again (avayivvtofjitvoig, i.e. in process of regeneration)." 1 Thus regarding the process from the point of view of its spiritual effect, even as Origen did from the point of view of the external rites, S. Athanasius treats the work of regeneration as still incomplete until the Holy Ghost is given by the Imposition of Hands. As for Origen men are still flairTi%6/u.voi, in course of being baptized, when, after the water, they are waiting for their Confirmation, so to S. Athanasius they are still dvayivvu/uitvoi, in course of being begotten anew, until they have received the Spirit by the hands of the Apostles. 1 Epist. I. ad Scrap. 4, 6. I have translated TO?S dvayevvufj.vois, "those who were being born again," although the present (imperfect) tense might mean " those who from time to time were bom again." But the other passages quoted will shew plainly enough that in S. Athanasius' view, regeneration was not complete until the Holy Ghost had been received. part of regeneration in Baptism. 285 No doubt in this passage Athanasius is only speak- ing of what he finds in Scripture, and not directly of the contemporary practice of his Church. Even so, however, the significance of what I have just observed remains, that he regarded the apostolic Confirmation and its gift as an actual factor in the regenerating effect of Baptism. But nothing that he says can be taken to imply that he is describing an order of things which was obsolete in his own time ; and if we may use as genuine the work De Trinitate et Spiritu Sancto, S. Athanasius expresses himself as strongly about the Laying on of Hands as any of the African divines does. That work only exists in a Latin translation, and has been the object of not unnatural suspicion ; but the Benedictine editors " unhesitatingly ascribe " the original to the great Doctor. 1 The author, after 1 It must be owned that the Benedictine editors of S. Athanasius were not always as much on the alert as might have been expected. In the same volume with the De Trin. et Spir. Sto. they publish as "attributed to him" (though they themselves do not think it bears marks of being his) a long fragment chiefly taken from a not more recondite quarter than S. Chrysostora on the Epistle to the Hebrews. There can be no doubt that the de Trin. et Sp. Sto. is at least made up out of Athauasian materials by a clumsy translator. Ancient translators often took liberties with their texts, and it is possible that the passages below quoted may have been " adapted " by whatever hand effected the translation. I do not think, however, that there is any special reason to distrust the genuineness of their Athanasian authorship. It seems very improbable that the piece should have proceeded (as some have guessed) from Yigilius of Tapsus, whether as author or translator. The Bishop of Salisbury kindly procured for me the following opinion from the Kev. H. J. White, his fellow- worker upon the Latin versions of the Bible. "There is certainly nothing in the Latin of the Biblical citations which in the least suggests an African test ; all the more obvious test words are rendered 286 Laying on of Hands restores God's image. saying, quite in the manner of S. Athanasius and the Alexandrians in general, that by the co-operation of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son " the washing of regeneration restores us to that primitive condition which existed before the fall of Adam," proceeds to say, "And just as Adam was created, receiving the Spirit of Life, and man became a living soul, and, having the Holy Spirit, was a spiritual being, so that he even prophesied . . . saying ' This is the mother of all living;' likewise also all the saints, having received the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, through the Laying on of the Hands of the, priest of God, are restored to that primitive state, in which they were before Adam fell." 1 By comparison of these two passages, the same result is again obtained. The Laying on of Hands is part of the washing of regeneration, and that part of it in virtue of which we receive the Spirit and are restored to the condition originally intended for us. in the European form ; e.g. the work has peccata instead of the African delicta, baptizo instead of tinguo, complacui instead of bene sensi (for 7ju5oK7j 4 Horn. xv. 35. Macarius on the royal Unction. 289 If Macarius had been a modern Methodist or Friend, he could scarcely have spoken with less regard to the fact that such spiritual blessings are sought in the Church by authorised means; yet his language testifies to the ideas which were commonly attached to the TJnction and the Seal, and their close connexion with the new birth. Take again the following : " Perfect Christians, who have been counted worthy to come to measures of perfection and to be made nearest to the King, these are perpetually devoted to the cross of Christ. For as in the days of the pro- phets unction in the widest sense was held to be specially precious, since men were anointed to be kings and prophets, so now, spiritual men, being anointed with the heavenly unction (YjoiVfia), become Christians according to grace, so that they are kings and prophets of heavenly mysteries. These also are sons, and lords, and gods, being imprisoned, carried captive, drowned in the deep, crucified, devoted. For if the unction of oil, which came from a material plant, a visible tree, had such power, that those who were anointed indisputably received rank (for it was an assured thing, so that they were made kings, and David after being anointed therewith fell straightway into persecutions and was afflicted, and after seven years became king), how much more do all that are anointed according to the mind and the inner man with the hallowing and joyful-making oil of gladness, heavenly and spiritual, receive the seal of that kingdom of the incorruptible and everlasting power, U 290 Didymus on regeneration and tfo gift. the earnest of the Spirit, the Holy Ghost the Com- forter ? " l Macarius would perhaps have thought it a mark of a carnal mind to inquire whether it was the Laver itself which made a man a " Christian, according to grace," or the ensuing Unction; but his language about the corresponding realities makes it clear that only when the analogue of the washing is accom- panied by the analogue of the anointing does the believer receive, in Macarius' opinion, the effect of a true Baptism an effect not resoluble into separate parts. The same sense of the unity of the baptismal graces shows itself in another distinguished Alexandrian, who was made master of the Catechetical School by S. Athanasius, the blind Didymus. His editor, Min- garelli, indeed, endeavours to shew that Didymus had clearly before his mind the idea of a distinct sacra- ment of Confirmation, apart from Baptism; but the effort is not wholly successful. To Didymus, as to other masters in his Church, regeneration, or the partaking of the Divine nature, was not a different thing from the reception of the Holy Ghost, and this was given in Baptism. Yet Baptism was to him a succession of sacred actions; and upon occasion he could consider apart the blessings suggested by them severally. When he does so, it is by no means his way to empty the concluding rites of grace in order to enrich the earlier ones. It appears as if he thought the benefit of Baptism itself to be chiefly a benefit 1 Horn. xvii. 1. Value of the Baptism of water. 291 to the body. Reproving the super-spiritual tendency which was to be felt even in his own day, he says : "It should be observed that those who embraced Christianity perfectly were very zealous about the outward and visible Baptism. For whereas the thing given is twofold partly by means of water, partly in Holy Ghost and fire they did not on account of the superiority of the baptism in the Spirit despise that which was more bodily. For this also con- tributes to salvation, in the direction of the resurrec- tion of the body. Man)'- passages may be discovered in this book of the Acts, to commend the profitable- ness of the baptism of water." 1 The words would bear the interpretation that Didymus was contrasting the whole series of external rites with the whole series of spiritual blessings that correspond with them, and taught that the body was benefited by the outward applications as the soul is benefited by the inward. But it would be more in accordance with a view which was common in early times, if we suppose Didymus to divide (as, for instance, the author De Rebaptismate does, and the Apostolical Constitutions) between the baptismal im- mersion on the one hand, which is a sacrament of resurrection to the body, and the descent of the Holy Ghost immediately after (for which other rites and prayers were to be employed), bringing inward re- newal to the soul. It becomes almost certain that this is the true meaning, when we observe that Didymus is commenting upon that chapter of the Acts which 1 Fragm. in Act. viii. 36. 292 Effect of Baptism on body and soul. makes so clear a distinction between Baptism itself and the subsequent gift of the Spirit. That this was the belief of Didymus appears from what he says elsewhere, in a passage where he dwells at length upon the blessings of regeneration : " He said, ' Ye must be born of water,' because the washing away in Baptism of the filth of the body is a sign of [the change which takes place in] those who are being new created by the Holy Ghost. For our visible body is visibly brought forth, under the ministry of the priests, by the font; but invisibly, body and soul alike, under the agency of the angels, are baptized into Himself by the Spirit who is in- visible to all intelligences, and so are regenerated. . . . For the human vessel, being an earthen vessel, needs first (TT/oorf/oov) the cleansing which the water gives, and then (tlra) also the invisible fire which perfects its strength) tm/oe^vtov avro cnroTtXovvrog), . . . that is, it needs the Holy Ghost who completes and renews The second book of Didymus' great work on the Trinity is devoted to the doctrine of the Holy Ghost ; and, as is natural, the author has much to say upon the irnpartition of that blessed Spirit in Baptism. In so doing, he often speaks perhaps more often than other Fathers do of the Spirit as given by means of the baptismal water. Yet in none of these places is he speaking of the baptismal water as contrasted with any other baptismal rite; it is his name for the sacrament as a whole, described by its most pro- 1 De Trin. II. xii. Unction " in our renovation'' 293 minent ceremony; and when discrimination between the various rites becomes necessary, then, so far as any division can be made in what Didymus regards as one, it is to the baptismal Unction that he traces the actual communication of the gift, rather than to the baptismal water. "The creature," he says, "is anointed in Baptism with created, though consecrated, oil. The Saviour, as God, anointed Himself with His own equally un- created Spirit, above His fellows, that is, above us. . . . That we also receive a chrism in the process of our renovation (ev ro> ai/aKcuvurju^!) is written by John in the First Epistle, 'And ye have a chrism from the Holy One, and know all things.' As the Saviour, he says, in His earthly life had a chrism, so ye also have a chrism from the Holy Ghost. . . . Esaias teaches, ' And the Lord of Hosts shall make to all nations (a feast) upon this mountain; they shall drink wine, they shall be anointed with oint- ment in this mountain ; deliver all these things to the nations.' ... In mentioning wine, he foretold the Lord's saving Blood; in mentioning ointment, he foretold that with which, on being sanctified, we are anointed by the priest (o a Thus this anointing, though subsequent to our puri- fication, is given to us " in Baptism," " in the process of our renovation." The latter expression receives a fuller meaning when we see that, like other Fathers, especially at Alexandria, Didymus believed the effect 1 De Trin. II. vi. 23. 294 Blessings in Baptism and after. of our Lord's breathing upon His disciples after the Resurrection to be the restoration of man to his original estate : "The Lord, in John, restoring to us the Holy Ghost, which we had lost by our primeval sin, breathed upon the faces of the disciples and said, 'Receive Holy Ghost; whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them.' " l It is this very restoration which is the great advantage bestowed upon us in our Baptism. So Didymus teaches in a later passage of the same book, where, nevertheless, he appears to attempt a discri- mination between the blessing given in Baptism itself and the blessing which immediately follows it : "When we go down into the font, by the good pleasure of God the Father, we are stripped from our sins by the grace of His Spirit, putting off the old man, and by His royal power are begotten again and sealed. When we come up, we put on the Saviour Christ, the imperishable and equally to be honoured robe of the Holy Spirit who begat us again and sealed us, and we recover again the image and likeness of God of which Scripture speaks, which we received by the Divine inbreathing and lost through the fall, and we are again found such as we were in the days of the first man, unfallen and with full power over ourselves." z It is curious to see how in this passage Didymus ascribes not only regeneration but also sealing to the font itself, and yet makes the attainment of the 1 De Trin. II. vii. 6. JWrf. II. xii. Didyrmis and Tertullian. 295 image and likeness of God to be imparted by the subsequent " putting on " of the Spirit. The fact is and it is of singular interest that Didymus is in this passage strongly influenced by recollections of the work of Tertullian upon Baptism. So far as I am aware, no other Greek author shows signs of being acquainted with that work; but Didymus, throughout his disquisition on Baptism and its bear- ing on the doctrine of the Spirit, evinces a full and verbal knowledge of Tertullian's book, though he does not mention it. 1 It is remarkable, however, that with Tertullian's teaching in his mind, and Tertul- lian's language upon his lips, Didymus should be entirely silent about the Laying on of Hands, trans- ferring what Tertullian derives through that rite, to the Unction which had encroached upon it. Like the African Father, S. Didymus sees a type of Baptism in the troubled pool of Bethesda : "The angel also which troubled the water was a forerunner of the Holy Ghost ; and, like him, John was both called the angel of the Lord, and was forerunner of the Master, and baptized in the waters. And the unction (x/otV/ua) with which Aaron was anointed by Moses, and not Aaron only, but also all who were anointed from the priestly horn, and were surnamed from the unction ' Anointed ones ' (x/>ta.(vtiv Cyril on Unction in Baptism. 303 Here, though it is the "sure water" of Baptism which makes the recipient "sure and steadfast," it does so by virtue of a second process, not by the first. First comes a cleansing, to which the name of Holy Baptism in the narrower sense belongs ; then follows the giving of the grace of the Holy Ghost, which makes us sure and steadfast. And yet, because of the unity of all the parts of the baptismal sacrament, the giving of the grace of the Holy Ghost itself also is a factor in the " sure water of Holy Baptism." Nor does S. Cyril, any more than others, leave us in doubt, what was the nature of that second action in Baptism, by which those who have been cleansed are made sure and steadfast. "It should be observed that the promise (Joel il 23, 24) is true also in the way of mystical fulfilment. We have been given, as it were in rain, the living water of Holy Baptism ; and as in wheat, the Bread of Life ; and as in wine, the Blood. And the use of oil, moreover, is foreshown as well, which contributes to the perfecting of those who are in process of being justified in Christ through Holy Baptism (awTiXovaa irpbg TfXtibMTiv rote ^iKaiov/nivoig Iv XpurTtjj Sta TOV ayiov ftaiTTi(T/j.aTog)." 1 Like Didymus, also, perhaps from him, as Jerome did 2 Cyril had learned to interpret of the baptismal Unction such passages as that in which Isaiah predicts the feast which was one day to be given to all nations in the Catholic Church : with its synonyms is constantly used in ecclesiastical Greek for " to make." In loel p. 224. * Hicron. Comment, in loo. 304 Unction during the time of Baptu "The ointment might exceedingly well signify to us the anointing of the Holy Ghost. For the wise John writes, ' And ye have an unction from the Holy One, and have no need that one teach you, but as His unction teacheth you concerning all things.' For we are copiously anointed with ointment during the very time of Baptism (icara TOV Katpov pa- \urra TOV ftairrifffiaTog), making the Unction a symbol of receiving the impartition (uiTa\a\tiv) of the Holy Ghost." l If, therefore, S. Cyril speaks of the Holy Ghost's indwelling as given to us in Baptism, or even in the water of Baptism, we must understand him to mean in that Unction which was to him essentially one with the baptismal water. I may add that it seems as if S. Cyril might dispute with S. Athanasius the honour of being the last Alexandrian Father to recognise in the closing ceremonies of Baptism, as administered in his day, the rite of Imposition of the Hand which was prescribed by the ancient Constitutions of his Church ; though it meant to him a different gesture from that which was assuredly at first intended. The thing signified by it is the same to him as to earlier authors, the gift of the indwelling Spirit. 1 In Esai. iii. 1 (p. 353.) It is not quite clear what exact shade of meaning is to be given here to the word n6xipayls appears to be applied by Cyril to the first part of Baptism, though it is doubtful whether under that title he refers to the actual immersion in the water, considered as conferring an indelible character upon the soul, or whether he refers to a signing which accompanied the actual immersion. See Cat. iii. 4, quoted below. * Procat. 2. Ibid. 4. Z 338 Baptismal benefits to body and soul. therefore get ready and prepare. ... Do not attend to the laver as mere water, but to the spiritual grace given along with the water. 1 For as the things offered upon the Gentile altars, being naturally their mere selves, become defiled by the invocation of the idols, so, by contrary, the mere water, receiving the invocation of the Holy Ghost, and of Christ, and of the Father, acquires a power of sanctity. For since man is a twofold being, composed of soul and body, the cleansing element also is twofold, the in- corporeal for the incorporeal, the bodily for the body. And the water cleanses the body, but the Spirit seals the soul, in order that having our hearts sprinkled by the Spirit, and our bodies washed with pure water, we may draw nigh to God. When, therefore, you are about to go down into the water, do not pay attention to the mere nature of the water, but expect salvation by the operation of the Holy Ghost. For without both it is impossible for thee to be perfected. It is not I that say this, but the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the matter in His own power. He says, 'Except a man be born from above,' and adds, 'of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Gad/ On the one hand, he who is being baptized (/3a7rrio#EVQc) with the water, but has not had the Spirit vouchsafed to him (Kara&wflJc), has not the grace in perfection : on the other hand, even if a man be distinguished for virtue in his deeds, but does not receive the seal bestowed by means of water (TJ)V St' 1 Tjj fifra ToD SSaros SiSo^fyp trvtvpaTiKfi \ipi-ri. Toatte'e's text has SeSoutVij, without remark; it must be a mistake for 5<8o/teVj/. Relation of the water to the Spirit. 339 ), he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is a venturesome saying, but it is not mine: it is Jesus who declared it. Take the proof of my words from the Divine Scripture. Cor- nelius was a just man, to whom angelic appearances were vouchsafed, who had reared an excellent monu- ment in heaven with God by his prayers and alms. Peter came, and the Spirit was poured upon those who believed, and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And after the grace of the Spirit, the Scripture says that Peter 'ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, in order that the soul having been regenerated through faith, the body also might partake, through the water, of the grace." 1 Here "the spiritual grace given along with the water " appears to be identified with the gift of the Spirit as poured out (for instance) upon Cornelius. It not only appears to be "given along with the water," but even in a kind of way to be sacrament- ally united with the water a " power of sanctity " acquired by the water when consecrated. The position is the same which we have observed in the Alexandrians, Didymus and Cyril. And yet it would be left doubtful, even if this were the only passage to guide us in Cyril of Jerusalem, whether he thought that " the grace given along with the water " was actually the res sacramenti, so that the baptismal water conveys it just in the same sense as the Eucharist conveys the Body of Christ. The words " giveu along with the water " may even themselves 1 Cat. iii. 3, 4. 340 The Laying on of Hands in Cyril. suggest a different interpretation; especially when taken in conjunction with the words, " He who is in course of being baptized with the water, but has not yet had the Spirit vouchsafed to him, has not the grace in perfection." These words seem to point to the history of the Samaritan baptisms, and recall Origen's description of the men as still /3a7mo//ci/ot, " in pro- cess of baptism," between the first baptismal act and the second. With this agree also other passing ex- pressions of Cyril; as when he says that the cate- chumen is to believe in the Holy Ghost " who now also seals thy soul during the time of Baptism " (KOTO. TOV Kaipbv TOV jSaTrrtff^mroe), 1 or, more generally, speaking of the descent upon Christ, says that it took place " at the time of the Baptism (tv r Kat/oy)." 2 It is fortunate, however, that in the case of Cyril of Jerusalem, we have explicit teaching to enforce what might otherwise, perhaps, appear to be wrung by violence out of such expressions. Speaking of the way in which the Holy Spirit had come upon men under the Old Dispensation, he says : " He came down upon many before. It is written that ' Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him.' You see everywhere the figure (TUTTOV), in the Old Testament and in the New the same. In Moses' time the Spirit was given through laying on of hands ; 1 Cat. iv. 16. * Cat. xvii. 10. 'Compare the paragraph before (xvii. 9) where rb &yiov wveu/ta Ttav &a.TrTiof*.fircav suggests that the order of Christ's Baptism is the order of ours. The Spirit given in Baptism, not by it. 341 and Peter gives the Spirit through laying on of hands ; and upon you also, who are undergoing Bap- tism (rov jSanrt^Ojuevov), the grace is about to come, though I do not tell you how (TO St irdq ov AE'YW), for I do not forestall the time." l That the Spirit was to come upon them in the course of their Baptism is here again clearly stated; but that Cyril did not intend them to suppose that Baptism itself would convey the gift is equally clear. Again and again in earlier lectures, as well as in the words actually before us, Cyril has taught them to expect the gift in Baptism; if, therefore, the im- mersion itself were to be the means of receiving it, he has already told them his secret. Yet now he says that he will not tell them " how "" they are to receive it. That remains for a future occasion. Meanwhile, he speaks of a different " figure," used both in the Old Testament and in the New, as the means of conveying the gift, and intimates that that figure, or at least one that answers to it, will be used for the same purpose in the Baptism for which his candidates are preparing. 2 The matter is freed from ambiguity when we turn to Cyril's " Mystagogical Lectures," the discourses delivered (like S. Ambrose's De Mysteriis) after the initiation was completed, to explain the rites which Cat. xvi. 26. 8 Probably Cyril was a little hindered at the moment by feeling that the rite which his bishop was about to use would scarcely be called a " laying on of hands " as its natural designation. At the same time his language unhesitatingly identifies the apostolic rite with the anointing of which he has to speak later. 34 2 Cyrtfs Lecture on Confirmation. had been undergone. He reminds the neophytes of their renunciations and professions, of their stripping, and their preliminary unction from head to foot with exorcized oil. Of this preliminary unction he speaks in terms not unlike some of those in the Apostolical Constitutions, though less extravagant. It made them " partakers of the good olive-tree, Jesus Christ ; " it was "calculated to banish every trace of the adver- sary's working;" it was able "not only to cleanse away by burning the traces of actual sins, but also to chase out all the powers invisible of the Evil One." 1 Cyril seems to regard it as truly sacramental, not symbolical only. Then came the triple confession, and the triple immersion, which represented the three days' burial of Christ, bringing with it remission of sins and the grace of adoption. 2 Of the receiving of the Spirit thus far in Baptism S. Cyril gives no hint. But after this follows, what is unique among the early Greek theologians, a whole discourse upon the Unction which we call Confirmation. The time was come when Cyril could freely tell his catechu- mens " how " the Holy Ghost is received. " Being now baptized into Christ," he begins, " and having put on Christ, you have become conformed to the Son of God. For God, having predestinated us to adoption, made us conformed to Christ's body of glory. Having therefore become partakers of Christ, 1 Cat. Myst. ii. 3. * Unless Toulte'e is right in saying that adoption, for Cyril, is always synonymous with the gift of the Spirit, in which case here as else- where he is speaking of Baptism in the larger sense when he makes adoption a part of the benefits of it The " essential advent " of the Holy Ghost. 343 you are reasonably called ' christs,' and concerning you God said, ' Touch not My christs.' Now you have become christs by receiving the figure of the Holy Ghost (x/otoroi St yfyovart TOW ayiov Trvtvjuaroc TO dvTt>- TVTTOV StZa/dtvoi). And all things have been done upon you in a representative way (SIKOVIKWC), because you are representations (etKo'vce, images) of Christ. And He, indeed, having washed in the river Jordan, and having imparted of the odour of His Godhead to the waters, went up out of them, and there came to Him a visitation of the Holy Ghost in the fulness of His being (owatwSrjc tTn^otV/jcrtc), like resting upon like. And to you also, when you had come up (ava- /SfjSTjico'o-tv) from the pool of the sacred font, was given an unction, the figure (avriTvirov) of that with which Christ was anointed ; and that is the Holy Ghost. . . . For Christ was not anointed by men with material oil or unguent, but the Father, having destined Him to be the Saviour of the whole world, anointed Him with the Holy Ghost. . . . And just as Christ had been truly crucified, and was buried, and rose again, while you in your Baptism were allowed to be crucified and buried and raised up again with Him in a similitude, so is it also with the Chrism. He was anointed with an invisible oil of gladness, that is, with the Holy Ghost, who is called oil of gladness because He is the cause of spiritual gladness; you were anointed with unguent, being made partakers and fellows of Christ." 1 Cyril then proceeds to speak of the sacramental 1 Cat. My st. iii. 1, 2. 344 The Unction imparts the Holy Ghost chrism in the same way as he has spoken of the sacramental water : " But see that you do not imagine that unguent to be mere unguent. For as the bread of the Eucharist, after the invocation of the Holy Ghost, is no longer mere bread, but Christ's Body, so also this holy unguent is no longer mere unguent, or, as one might say, common unguent, after the invocation, but is Christ's gracious gift, and is made effectual to convey the Holy Ghost, by the presence of His own Godhead (TrvtvfJiaTog ayiov Trapovcricf. TTJC avrov Qtonqrog tvepyrf- TIKOV). And this unguent is symbolically applied to your forehead and your other organs of sense, and your body is anointed with the tangible oil, and your soul is sanctified by the holy and lifegiving Spirit." l He then gives reasons for the application of the chrism to brow, ears, nostrils, and breast, upon which last it is a breastplate, and adds : "For even as Christ, after His Baptism and the visitation of the Holy Ghost, went forth and subdued the adversary, so you also, after the sacred Baptism and the mystical Chrism, being clothed in the whole armour of the Holy Ghost, must stand against the power of the adversary and subdue it, saying, ' I can do all things in Christ who strengtheneth me.' When this holy Chrism has been vouchsafed to you, you are called Christians, approving by your regeneration the truth of the name; for before this grace was vouchsafed to you, you did not properly deserve this 1 Cat. Myst. iii. 3. and consecrates to be kings and priests. 345 appellation, but were journeying and advancing towards being Christians." 1 In the Old Testament dispensation, the type and symbol of this Unction was used to make men priests and kings : "When Moses imparted the injunction of God to his brother, making him high priest, after he had washed in water, Moses anointed him, and he was called an 'Anointed' (X/HOTOC) from the figurative unction. So also the high priest, advancing Solomon to be king, anointed him, after he had washed in the Gihon. But these things happened to them figuratively, while to you they happen not figura- tively, because you were anointed with (OTTO) the Holy Ghost indeed." 2 Cyril concludes with an exhortation to prize what has thus been received : "Guard it undefiled, for it will teach you all things, if it abide in you. . . . For this holy thing is a spiritual safeguard of the body and salvation of the souL Of this the blessed Esaias spoke in prophecy long ago, ' And the Lord shall make (a feast) to all nations in this mountain, . . . they shall drink wine, they shall be anointed with ointment, . . . deliver all these things to the nations.' . . . Having therefore been anointed with this holy ointment, keep it un- defiled and unblameable in yourselves, making pro- gress by good works, and being well pleasing to the Captain of your salvation, Christ Jesus." 8 1 Cat. Myst. iii. 4, 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Compare bis interpretation of Ps. xxiii. in Cat. Mytt. 346 Unction a Sacrament, not a symbol. Perhaps some of the sentences quoted from this Lecture, taken by themselves, might have given the impression that S. Cyril thought of the Unction as only symbolical. If so, they are abundantly corrected by others. In contrast with the way in which Christ was anointed, ours is said to be a "representation," a " figure." But this is only because His Unction was without any sacramental sign, while ours is sacramental. This is plainly shown by the second contrast, between our Unction and that of the Old Testament priests and kings. They had but the symbol; we have both the symbol and the thing symbolized. Thus Confirmation that is, the Unction which Cyril identifies with the apostolic Imposition of Hands is for him a part of Baptism, but it is that part in which the main value of Baptism resides. It is no mere accessory of Baptism; it has a sub- stantive value, and ranks side by side with Baptism. " After the sacred Baptism and the mystical Chrism " we are " clothed in the panoply of the Holy Ghost." It is the "figure (avrirvn-ov) of the Holy Ghost." Cyril's use of the word avrirvirov elsewhere plainly shows that he does not mean by it a figure which is only a figure, but rather what is called an " effectual sign." This he states in so many words concerning the unguent after invocation: it is "effectual to convey iv. 7. Nothing could be more admirable than Tonttee's notes upon the relation of Confirmation to Baptism as taught by Cyril of Jeru- salem : see especially the Third Dissertation prefixed to his edition, pp. clxxxix. foil. He gives the key to what is said by maay oth> r Fathers besides Cyril. Fulness of the Confirmation Gift. 347 the Holy Ghost." We thereby, after "having come up from the pool of the sacred font," receive, in a way suited to our needs, what Christ received after His Baptism, "a visitation of the Holy Ghost in the fulness of His being." These are things which Cyril never says of Baptism when left uncompleted. The benefits of the sacrament are, in his estimation, to be conformed to Christ, to be made His fellows, truly "Christians," priests, and kings; to be sanctified in soul, enabled to stand against the adversary and subdue him ; to be taught all things, and spiritually safeguarded. How full was S. Cyril's conception of this great gift may be gathered from the passages where he compares it with the partial gifts bestowed under the Old Testament, and on the evening of the Resur- rection. "Having often worked in prophets, He now (on the day of Pentecost) exhibited a new and wonderful thing. The grace did, indeed, come upon the fathers also ; but here more exceedingly. There, they par- took of Holy Spirit; but here they were absolutely (auTortXtuc) baptized." 1 "A fellowship of this Holy Spirit He bestowed upon the Apostles; for it is written, 'And having said this, He breathed on them, and said, Whoseso- ever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.' This was a second breathing; for the first was impaired through wilful sins. . . . But now while He gives 1 Cat. xvii. 18. 348 Epiphanius on the the grace, He lavishes it more largely and says, 'I am ready to give even now ; but the vessel cannot as yet contain it : receive now as much of the grace as you can contain, but expect yet more; tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, till ye be endued with power from on high ; now receive the gift in part ug), then you shall wear it absolutely (au-ore- ' Oftentimes one who receives, has the thing given but in part, but one who is endued is compassed all round about by the garment. . . . The grace was not in part (on the day of Pentecost) ; the power was absolute. As one who plunges in the waters and is baptized is on all sides surrounded by the waters, so they also were baptized by the Spirit entirely (oAortXwe). Only, while water is circumfused exter- nally, the Spirit baptizes also the soul internally without leaving any part untouched (aTra/oaAsnrrwe)." 1 It is this latter, Pentecostal outpouring, which is bestowed upon the Christian : " The Apostles partook of fire, not fire which burns up, but fire which brings salvation, destroying the thorns of sin, but making the soul bright. This it is which is now about to come upon you also." 2 The Church of Palestine has a later representative, within the same century as Cyril, in Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, but a native of the Holy Land and always in close relations with it. S. Epiphanius appears to have felt a special shrinking from writing down any account of the baptismal rites, even where it might have been natural for him 1 Cat. xvii. 12, 13. * Ibid. 15. " Mysteries of Perfecting? 349 to do so, contenting himself with saying that "the other mysteries, concerning Baptism and the mysteries within," are accomplished according to tradition. 1 But in one place he argues that it is not bread, nor water, but a power in and beyond the elements, which does the believing recipient good : " Not that the water alone should cleanse us, but that in the force attached to the water (kv rrj l . 117 B. On "receiving the Divine impress" 351 which S. Basil invited his audience was one which included the confirmatory Unction, and the entire transaction was so completely a single whole in his view that there need be no hesitation in supposing that he would have regarded the house as still un- marked and the sheep as still without its sign, if the baptized should stop willingly short of the com- pleting rite. And, as with the seal, so with the inner gifts of Baptism. S. Basil seems to make them all depend upon the impartition of the Holy Ghost. Without this, he shews, like Athanasius and others, that we cannot be children of God, nor attain His likeness, nor in fact remain in life itself. " The creature," he argues against Eunomius, "is not so unhappy, nor God so powerless, as not to diffuse the sacred impartition upon the things which He has made. Assuredly it has been His will to make man immediately after His own image. . . . But if it is not possible for human beings to fashion materials after a given likeness without those materials receiving something of the ideas on which they are made, how could the creature rise into likeness to God if it does not receive something of the Divine impress (xajoaKTjjpoc)? But the Divine impress is not like the human, but is a living impress, and an image which verily forms other images (EIKtev indicates that the purification takes place first and the entrance follows, so that airo\ouo/j.evi)i> is 2 A 354 Unction in Baptism a catholic tradition. Such language, of course, need not imply that a second sacramental action was necessary to effect the lodgement of the Divine Spirit in the soul ; but it at any rate implies that the cleansing which Baptism represents is effected first, and then the lodgement, and that the lodgement is not the means of the cleansing. That Basil was neither ignorant of Confirmation, nor regarded it as unimportant, is of course unnecessary to state. He bears his express testimony to the universal custom and belief in the famous passage where he insists upon the importance of observing many things which are not commanded in Scripture. After speaking of the Invocation at the consecration of the Eucharist, as " having great efficacy " in the ministration of that sacrament, he proceeds : "Again, we bless both the water of Baptism and the oil of Unction, and the man receiving Baptism as well. From what Scripture words does the custom come ? Is it not from the tacit and mystical tradi- tion ? And what of the unction with the oil at all ? What written word prescribed it ? And that the man is baptized three times, whence comes it, and all the other things connected with Baptism ? " * It might, perhaps, be fairly argued from these words, if they stood alone, that S. Basil regarded the unction as an accessory and significant rite in Baptism, but not as strictly sacramental. In that probably to be understood to refer to the whole course of the baptismal service. 1 De Spir. Sto. 27 (vol. iii. p. 55). Basil on his predecessor Firmilian. 355 case S. Basil would not have been in agreement with the general tradition of the Church, the authority of which tradition he is upholding. It remains to be said that Basil was well acquainted with the correspondence between " the great Denys " and the Roman see, and between Cyprian "and our own Firmilian" on heretical baptisms. Theoretically he was inclined to agree with S. Firmilian, though practically he followed a different ruling in the case of schismatics who were not heretics. The ground, he says, in writing to S. Amphilochius, upon which the party of Cyprian went was that " Those who withdrew from the Church no longer had the grace of the Holy Spirit upon them. The impartition failed, by the interruption of the con- tinuity. For those who first seceded had their ordinations (\upoToviag) from the fathers, and through the laying on of their hands they had the spiritual gift; but those who were cut off, becoming laymen, had no authority either to baptize or to ordain (xtipo-roviiv], no longer being able to bestow on others the grace of the Holy Spirit which they themselves had lost. And so (Cyprian and Firmilian) urged that those who came over to the Church from them, as having a lay baptism, should be cleansed by the true Baptism of the Church. But since it has been agreed, I know, by some in Asia, out of consideration for the circumstances of so many (o\Kovofiiag evwa T&V TroAXwi/), that their Baptism should be accepted, let it be accepted. . . . But on all accounts let it be laid down, that those who come to us from that Baptism 356 Effect of the Seal on the unworthy. of theirs should be anointed, among the faithful I mean, and so approach the mysteries." J There can be no doubt that the Imposition of Hands of which S. Basil here speaks as conveying, and empowering others to convey, the spiritual gift, is that of Ordination, not of Confirmation, and that here, as elsewhere, he treats Baptism as completely one thing, in which, he implies, as in Ordination, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given. But his willingness to surrender the rebaptism of schismatics and heretics, while strongly insisting upon their being anointed, indicates that he, like most of the Fathers, felt that the chief incidence of baptismal grace is not upon the first part of the sacrament. 2 It is in accordance with this feeling that S. Basil instinctively speaks of Baptism under the title of the Seal when he traces to it the abiding gift of the Spirit. It would be unsafe to affirm positively that by the Seal he meant Confirmation as distinct from Baptism; but few will question that it is especially in view of the later acts in Baptism that he explains the " cutting asunder " of the wicked servant to be "The soul's perpetual alienation from the Spirit. For now although He is not found to have been united or blended (avaKtuparat) with the unworthy, 1 Epitt. clxxxviiL [Canonica i.] (vol. iii. p. 270). 2 The author of the two books on Baptism printed in the appendix to S. Basil's works said by some to have been Eustathius of Sebastia makes no mention of Confirmation in any form ; nor of the Spirit as given in Baptism either. It is the more curious, inasmuch as he devotes a large portion of his treatise to the Holy Communion which the newly baptized received. Striking evidence is thus borne to the absolute oneness of the baptismal sacrament. Gregory of Nyssa on Baptism. 357 nevertheless He seems in a way to be present with those who have once been sealed, awaiting their conversion and consequent salvation; but then He will be wholly severed from the soul which has profaned His grace." l S. Basil's younger brother, or son, as he loved to call himself, S. Gregory of Nyssa, evinces the same strong sense of the oneness of Baptism which we find in S. Basil. Even the remission of sins (which, for the moment at least, S. Gregory treats as the equiva- lent of regeneration) appears to be traced to the reception of the Holy Ghost. "This benefit is not conferred by the water, it would be too lofty for any creature, but by God's commandment and by the visitation of the Spirit, coming mystically to set us at liberty. The water serves in a subordinate manner (VTTTJ/OE) to declare our cleansing." Gregory then goes on, after the manner of Cyril, to explain how the outward water and the Spirit invisible correspond to the compound nature of man. The Spirit, " being called by faith, and coming in an inexplicable manner . . . blesses the body which is baptized and the water which baptizes. Therefore do not despise the Divine laver, nor think lightly of it as if it were a common thing because of the use of water there; for that which works the effect is great, and from it the things accomplished are wonder- ful." The altar, he argues, at which he stands, is no longer a common slab. " The bread, again, is up to a 1 De Spir. Sto. 16 (vol. iii. p. 34). 358 Perfect unity of Baptism. certain moment common bread, but when the mystery does its sacred work upon it, it is called, and becomes, Christ's Body. So the mystic oil, so the wine, are things of little worth before the blessing; but after the sanctification of the Spirit, both the one and the other have a different potency." So it is with the baptismal water. Elias' sacrifice foreshadows the mystery of Baptism. " The fire was lighted by water thrice poured on, so that it was shewn that where the mystical water is, there is the kindling Spirit, warm and fire-like, burning up the ungodly and enlightening the faithful." l In his great catechetical instruction, given before Baptism, S. Gregory of Nyssa gives no account of the employment of that " mystic oil " which he mentions above. He dwells again upon the contrast of the outward and inward. He says that if the baptized does not alter his life, then, " bold though it be to say it, yet I will say it and not shrink from it ; in their case the water will be water, and the gift of the Holy Ghost will be displayed in no part of the pro- ceeding (ouSa/uov ETrt^avtfoTje T$ 7tvojUv8c?s 8e, &>y &i/ eliroi TJS, ov)." l Again, though miracles have ceased in the Church, " We have the chief of good things in Baptism ; we received remission of sins, sanctification, participa- tion of the Spirit, adoption, eternal life." a And again, "For thou also didst enjoy divine grace in thy Baptism (/3a7mo/voe), and didst partake of the Spirit, if not indeed to work miracles, yet as much as suffices for making the life upright and exact; so that it is of our own negligence if we are perverted." 8 Like some others, S. Chrysostom seems to make the receiving of the Holy Ghost the inward part of Baptism corresponding to the outward sacrament of the water. Thus, speaking of our Lord's promise, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence," he says : " How does He say, ' Ye shall be baptized,' when there was no water in the Upper Chamber ? Because the more important thing is the Spirit, through whom alone it is that the water is effectual. In the same way, He is Himself said to have been anointed, though He received the Spirit without ever being anointed with oil. Or to take another view, they are to be found also receiving a baptism of water, and that on different occasions. In our time both things take place at once (a^oTtpa yivtrai vtf ?v) ; but then separately 1 Horn, in Matt. xii. p. 163 D. Horn, in Act. xl. p. 285 (Migne.) ' De Compunct. ad Demetr. i. 8. Horn, in Act. i. 5. " directly after Baptism, before the Mysteries" 365 Yet in spite of this language, which emphasizes the oneness of Baptism, Chrysostom was not less fully aware than others, that there was a special point in the baptismal service at which this gift of the Holy Ghost was given, and that it was not the moment of immersion. Commenting upon S. Paul's words, " and were all made to drink into one Spirit," he says, with great justice ; " My own opinion is, that he is now speaking of that coming (iVt^on-jjtnv) of the Spirit, which takes place in us directly after Baptism (aVo row j3airriv -jrvivfia rote /3a7TTote OUK tSt'Sou), because he had not the right to do so, for this gift (Swjoov) belonged only to the Twelve. And observe, the Twelve were not in the habit of travelling abroad (OVK ityiaav, were at this time stationary in Jerusalem) ; it was the Divine plan that the Seven should go forth, who did not enjoy this grace, because they had not yet received the Holy Ghost. For they had received the power to work miracles, but not the power to give the Spirit to others. This, plainly, was a distinguishing mark of the Apostles ; so it is only the leaders, and no others, who are to be seen performing this act," And a few sentences after Chrysostom contrasts Chrysostom on Laying on of Hands. 367 afresh the grace given in Holy Baptism with this power entrusted to the Apostles : "You see that it is not so simple a matter, but requires great power, to be able to give the Holy Ghost. It is not the same thing to obtain remission of sins, and to receive such power as this." l We must return to the examination of this some- what confusing and contradictory language by and by, after setting forth one or two other passages which may help either to confuse still further or to clear. In his remarks upon the words in the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, S. Chrysostom states simply the value of the Laying on of Hands. "'And of Laying on of Hands.' For thus they used to receive the Spirit : ' When Paul had laid his hands upon them,' it says " And then : " See in what a deterrent and forbidding way he begins ; ' It is impossible.' Do not, he says, expect 1 Horn, in Act. xviii. pp. 143-145 (Migne). The text appears to be unsatisfactory in parts. In the words oQtv KOI robs tcopuQaiovs, owe &\\ovs nvds, e A") QalvtffOat Si) ; and now they shewed Him forth (aXXa TOVTO tvtyaivov) by their powerful operation and with the tongues which they spoke." 2 1 Horn, in Hebr. ix. p. 118 (Field). A good part of this passage appears among the fragments "attributed to" Athanasius in the Benedictine edition (vol. ii. p. 1272). But that fragment contains a good deal besides, and probably forms part of a homily or commen- tary by one of the numerous later imitators of S. Chrysostora. 2 Horn, in Ad. xl. p. 283 (Mignc). Chrysostoms view of Laying on of Hands. 369 It is not easy to determine from these passages the exact position of Chrysostom with regard to Confir- mation ; but it is not inconceivable that he was inclined to regard the apostolic Laying on of Hands as a thing quite distinct from the Confirmation (by Unction) to which he was himself accustomed. It is not a thing of which he speaks as continued to his own day ; he appears rather to regard it as a peculiar privilege of the Apostles. The gift conveyed by it is, in his estimation, a miraculous gift, no longer vouchsafed to the Church and, in some aspects, greater than any- thing now vouchsafed. He does indeed say that " the chief (i0aXatov) of good things " is given us in Bap- tism ; yet he also speaks of our present participation of the Spirit, through Baptism, sufficient as it is for moral needs, as if it were less in measure than what was given in the earlier days. He draws a sharp line between " the performing of wonders " and " the earnest of the Spirit," when he names them as alter- native interpretations of the phrase, "powers of the world to come " (rj . . . r}). And it is the former, " the Spirit of miracles," which he understands to have been conveyed by the imposition of the Apostles' hands. He may, therefore, have assumed that when Philip christened his Samaritan converts, he went through all the baptismal rites which were usual in his own day. He may have identified the receiving of the " Spirit of remission," even in their case, with "that coming of the Spirit which takes place after Baptism and before the Mysteries," with the posses- sion of " the earnest of the Spirit." If this is the case, 2 B 3 jo Chrysostom s view of Laying on of Hands. and S. Chrysostom thought that the Samaritans were not only already baptized, but already confirmed before the arrival of S. Peter and S. John, then, indeed, he was assuredly mistaken, but it would explain the way in which he reduces the extent of the gift bestowed through the Apostles. It would then be easier to understand how he regarded the Laying on of Hands not as the sacrament of a new gift, but rather as the means of liberating, evoking, bringing into prominence, powers already inherent in those who received it. It may surprise us that he could find no middle term between " the Spirit of remission " and " the Spirit of miracles ; " but if it be true that he considered the Baptism of the Samaritans to have been a normally complete Baptism, and the Imposition of Hands to have been only a thing of that age and of very limited purpose, then we must give a large interpretation (such as might well be supported) to the phrase, "the Spirit of remission." In any case we have the clear testimony of S. Chrysostom, when dealing not with facts of ancient history, but with contemporary practice and doctrine, testimony as to a well-known thing, to the coming of the Holy Spirit to take up His place in us at a point intermediate between Baptism itself and the Eucharistic Mysteries, by which coming we are " made to drink " the Spirit. 1 1 There is a passage in Horn, in Phil. v. p. 47 (Field) where S. Chryeostom, playing in a way that cannot be translated upon the words tXaiov (oil) and xos (mercy), says that the priests and kings and prophets of old days were anointed with oil, as a token " that the Spirit was afterwards to come ()." Theodore of Mopsuestia on Baptism 371 The baptismal doctrine of Chrysostom's friend and fellow disciple, Theodore of Mopsuestia, presents many features of interest. He was a man of sharply defined and narrowly limited opinions, which he held tena- ciously and expressed in constant repetitions of almost identical words. Baptism for him was the receiving of the Spirit, by which we are born again, and made partakers of the resurrection of Christ. Upon this he earnestly insists. 1 The signs of prophecy and tongues testified, according to him, in the first days, to the reality of the gift of the Spirit in Baptism. This was the great object of these miraculous displays. But Theodore appears nowhere to attempt any resolution of Baptism into its parts. The movement of grace in that sacrament appears to him one and indivisible. Once he speaks of the Chrism, 2 but in a way which does not directly refer to the ecclesiastical rite. On the other hand there is nothing to shew that he supposed the baptismal grace to be conveyed by the baptismal water apart from the subsequent rites. It is probable that he would have refused to divide the grace between them ; for when he comments on the breathing of our Lord upon His disciples on the evening of Easter Day, he speaks contemptuously of the " foolish " opinion that our Lord really gave the Holy Spirit by that act, which, to his mind, robbed Pente- cost of its significance. 3 His friend S. Chrysostom, 1 On the baptismal doctrine of Theodore, see Swete's edition of hia commentary on the Minor Epistles of S. Paul, vol. i. p. Ixxxiii. * Upon Eph. i. 23. Fragm. in Act. (Migne Patr. Gr. vol. 66. p. 783). 372 Theodoret upon the on the other hand, was of opinion that the Paschal gift was "in order to make them capable of receiv- ing Him, and sufficient for His entertainment." l The learning of the school of Antioch passed from these two great teachers to a still more learned expositor in the person of Theodoret. Theodoret, like those whose disciple he was, inclined to the belief that the Holy Spirit was sometimes given in a latent manner and then by a subsequent act declared. He thus answers the question, "why the Lord God, having testified to Joshua that he had in him the Spirit of God, commanded Moses to lay his hand upon him." "This was done also upon Cornelius; for after having received the grace of the Spirit, they were then admitted to Baptism. And in fact the Master Christ also, having according to His human nature received all the gracious gifts of the Spirit before the pains which brought Him to birth, came to the baptism of John, and ordered the hand of the servant to be laid upon His head, and displayed the most Holy Spirit coming upon Him in the shape of a dove. And the Apostles, after taking Holy Spirit by the Master's breathing upon them, received the grace which came upon them from heaven. This also was done upon Jesus the son of Nave. He had indeed the grace of the Spirit; but in order that the people also might believe that he had received from God the ordination to the leadership, the hands of the lawgiver were laid upon him." 2 1 Horn, in Act. i. p. 20 (Migue). Quaest. in Num. 47. Laying on of Hands. 373 It is remarkable how Theodoret assumes that the baptism of John included an imposition of hands not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. In all proba- bility he did not think of it as a distinct rite, but rather as a necessary gesture in the act of baptising. Chrysostom himself, who is so far from recognising the Imposition of Hands in the full sense of Confir- mation, speaks of such a gesture as this : " When thou art baptized," he says, " it is not the priest him- self who baptizeth thee ; it is God who holdeth thy head with unseen power." 1 S. John Damascene affirms that "John was baptized by laying his hand upon the Lord's divine head." 2 No doubt however it was the thought of what was done to Joshua which caused Theodoret to specify this gesture, and he connects it with the descent of the Spirit upon Christ, though disposed to evacuate the significance of that descent. We may, therefore, compare the passage with what Theodoret says about the doctrine of the Laying on of Hands in the Epistle to the Hebrews : "Those who have believed, abominating the ill savour of those [dead works], and using penitence, approach the divine Baptism, and through the priestly hand receive as a guest the grace of the Spirit (&a rf}? hpariKrj^ -)(tipbq vTroSe^owat TYIV %apiv TOV Trvtv/narog), and receiving in the divine Baptism the figure of the resurrection they await the general resurrection of all, and the judgment to come. These things he called the alphabet of the oracles." 8 1 Horn, in Matt. 1. p. 517 B : & Kartx^" a\-f)i>. 1 De Fid. Orth. p. 262 (Le Quien). Comm. in loc. 374 Theodoret on the Unction. Perhaps it is not unworthy of notice that Theodoret shrinks from using in his paraphrase the expression which would have affirmed that " the priestly hand " was still employed in precisely the same way as in the days when the Epistle to the Hebrews was written. He does not say " through the laying on of the priestly hand." But, however the hand is employed, he recognises clearly the gift conveyed by it as being still the same, and as conveyed in the course of Baptism. Otherwhere, he naturally asso- ciates the gift with the baptismal Unction : " If you care for a more mystical meaning, remind yourself of the sacred initiation Ouixmryoryi'ae), in which those who are being initiated (rtXov fttvot), after the renunciation of the usurper and the confession of the King, receive, as it were a kind of royal seal, the Unction of the spiritual ointment, receiving in the ointment as a figure the invisible grace of the most Holy Spirit (wg ev Tinrq TM fivpt^ rrjv aoparov TOI Traverytou Trveu/taroe \apiv vTro^xofifvoi)." 1 Commenting upon the 23rd Psalm, Theodoret repeats what he finds in Eusebius, quoted above. 2 Reference has already been made 8 to his statement that the 1 In Cant. Cant. i. 2. It might, perhaps, appear at first, from the mention of this unction as following upon the " renunciation and con- fession," as if Theodoret meant the unction preceding Baptism, which, as we have seen, is treated as distinctly sacramental by Cyril of Jerusalem and the Apostolic Constitutions. But this is made impos- sible by his using the word /j.vpov. The preliminary unction was not made with pvpov. Probably the close juxtaposition of the Unction with the transfer of allegiance, the Baptism itself being omitted, is due to Theodoret's wish to make plain the connexion of the "seal" with the Christian profession. * P- 333. p . us. Baptism in tke Cloud and in the Sea. 375 Novatianists did not use Unction in the course of Baptism (rote viro o-^wv /BaTrrt^o/iei/otc TO iravajlov ov jrpoafytpovat xptafjia) ; on account of which, converts from that sect were ordered to be anointed on joining the Church. 1 Here, once more, Confirmation is re- garded as forming part of the Christian's initiation, not a thing given to one already well within the Church. It is to Theodoret, as to every ancient father, a part of the baptismal sacrament. Accordingly he interprets S. Paul's comparison of the baptism of Israel with ours in a way which it would be difficult to surpass for clearness and point. " Those things, he says, were a type of ours. The sea represented (ejutjuaro) the font; the cloud repre- sented the grace of the Spirit." 2 It may be observed that " the grace of the Spirit " is no mere paraphrase for " grace " ; but seems to be Theodoret's constant expression for the possession, or indwelling, of the Spirit. To the testimony of these Greek fathers of Antioch may be added an expression or two of contemporary Greek teachers elsewhere. Asterius, Bishop of Amasea in Pontus, contempo- rary with S. Chrysostom, in an interesting passage where the language of regeneration is applied in a secondary sense to conversion, sets clearly forth the difference between Baptism itself and the act which conveys the gift of the Holy Ghost, and yet as clearly conjoins the two together as both entering into the 1 Haer. Fab. C&mp. iii. 5. * 7w 1 Cor. x. 2. 376 Asterius and Gennadius. new baptismal birth. He is speaking of the return of the Prodigal Son. "The robe the first robe, would be not actually Baptism, for it is not possible to have a second Baptism ; but that first robe and grace which at the outset each of the faithful puts on through Baptism. For instead of the regeneration which comes by the laver, was graciously bestowed upon us from God the new birth which comes by repentance, which washes our defilements with weeping, and presents us clean again. There is given also to the Prodigal, after the robe, a ring, a symbol of the invisible seal of the Spirit. For as in the regeneration by Baptism there is both robe and seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost, so is it also in the new birth by repentance." l Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who came to his throne in the middle of the fifth century, about the same year in which Theodoret died, comments upon the foundation passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews in language which presents a few coinci- dences with Theodoret's, though these seem to be accidental : "He means that in the case of those who come now for the first time to the faith, we lay before them the teaching concerning these things like as it were a foundation, urging them first, as is natural, to repent from works that cause death; and, repenting, to believe upon God ; and believing, to be baptized ; and, 1 Apud Phot. Bibl. cod. cclxxi. The phrase, a^payls Swptas irye^aroj ayiov, was no doubt by this time the " furm " of Confirmation ; the so- called Seventh Canon of Constantinople cannot have first made it so (see p. 363 note). Ephraem the Syrian. 377 in being baptized (/3a7mojwi/oue), to submit themselves to the Laying on of the priestly Hands for partaking of the Spirit ; and, after partaking of the Spirit OUETO- o-xovrac), no longer to doubt concerning the resurrec- tion from the dead." 1 Thus Gennadius speaks as if the " Laying on of the priestly Hands " were still a practice of his own day, and reckons it a part of Baptism, and that part which confers the Holy Ghost. Before passing on to the examination of a great unknown author who has exerted a strangely power- ful influence upon the subsequent history of doctrine, infusing into it the ardent mysticism of the East, we may return for a moment to the fourth century and to the famous schools which lay beyond Antioch, whose language was not Greek, but Syriac. It is thought that the great unknown author himself had learned in those schools, and therefore it would be of interest to know what the earlier doctors in them had to say upon the subject before us. 2 The only father of the Syrian Church, in whom I have been able to discover any clear references to the doctrine of Confirmation, is S. Ephraem. He refers not unfrequently to the baptismal Unction, and always in the same kind of terms as more Western authors. Thus, after giving the literal interpretation of Joel's promise of the presses abounding with wine and oil, he says : " This place has a secret signification, by which you 1 A pud Oecum. in loc. 2 The evidence of the Syriac Liturgies is reserved for an appendix. 378 Ephraem on the Unction and the Seal. may understand that whatever good things are here promised to the Jews, Christ has bestowed upon the people upon whom He had bestowed salvation, that is, upon His Church, corn, I say, wine, and mystic oil; corn, which is the mystery of His most holy Body, and His sanctifying Blood in wine ; oil also for a most sweet ointment with which those who have just been christened are sealed, and put on the armour of the Holy Ghost." 1 What virtue this saint attached to the unction may be gathered from an earnest sermon of his, of which the following is a part : " Take heed that death come not up into thy windows (i.e. the senses) and break into thy house, and, having gained a hold on these, mar the form of the image, beloved of God, after which thou wast made. The entrances of thy head are sealed with the seal of the Holy Ghost ; the mark of the Unction has been impressed upon all thy members. As an epistle of His own the King hath written thee, and sealed thee with His fiery signets ; see that no strangers read that Better or break what He has stamped on thee; beware that thou undo not the King's signet ; if thou do, the thieves will soon fall upon thee ; see that thou obliterate not His impress, or thou wilt fall under the attack of the murderers. What is within thee, consider thine ; what is without thee is at least not thine. Within thee is God ; with- out thee is the devil. John in his Apocalypse saw a book, great and wonderful, written by God and 1 In loel cap. ii. (Caillau vol. ii. p. 554). " Dionysius the Areopagite." 379 guarded with seven seals. There was none who could read what was written ; that secret, impenetrable to things above and to things below, was known only to the Son of God who had written and sealed it ; for no eyes might ever see, nor ears hear, nor minds in thought comprehend the good things which God hath written for the soul. He hath written His kingdom in the soul, and laid up the writing there as an earnest, until the heir of the kingdom, the Son of God, shall come, and take the soul into His bridal chamber." 1 In the latter part of the fifth century, when the race of the great theologians was over, both in East and West, a fresh impetus was given to speculative divinity by the mysterious personage who assumed the name and position of Denys the Areopagite. Who this remarkable writer was, and where he came from, must remain uncertain; but Dr. Westcott, in a suggestive study upon him, finds reason to think that he belonged to the celebrated school of Edessa. 2 The name which this man took was wisely chosen for his purpose. Though, when first quoted in support of Monophysite positions, his works were received with suspicion by the orthodox, they soon acquired all the weight due to the cultured Athenian disciple of S. Paul ; and, through Thomas Aquinas and the Council of Trent, not to mention others, they have profoundly influenced the teaching of the whole Latin communion. 1 Serm. Exeget. vi. (Caillau vol. iii. p. 26). * The essay is republished in the volume of Essays in the History of Religious Thought in the West. 380 Relation of Confirmation to Denys, in his Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, gives a summary account of the baptismal rites, no doubt taken simply enough from the usage of the day and country, though Pachymeres apologizes for its differ- ing from that with which he and his readers were conversant. After the triple immersion, " The priests take [the baptized] and deliver him to the sponsor and author of his reception ; and in conjunction with him, they clothe the man who is being initiated (rw rtAoufttv^) with suitable raiment and lead him back to the hierarch. He, after sealing the man with the God-making ointment (TO) Btovp- yiKUTaTty pvpi})), finally makes him partaker of the Eucharist which completes consecration (rfjc te/oorcXf V x fl P'v rov ifpt'ws 81" tu^T).' oKfv (iri<(>oirqy rb irv. rb ay. 384 "Baptism or the Layings on of Hands" " They receive the entrance of the Holy Ghost again in a way perceptible to sense, and have in the soul an evident sense of the Spirit's entrance. And they say that this is the true communion of Christians ; for that in the Church's Baptism or the Layings on of the Hands of the clergy the persons undergoing Baptism in no way partake of the Holy Ghost, unless they diligently take part in the prayers offered by them, and that a man may receive the communion of the Holy Ghost without Baptism at all." l The wording of the passage is very careful. S. John Damascene does not say, as a man might easily have said, " neither in the Church's Baptism, nor in the Layings on of the Hands of the clergy (ou'Se . . . ou'Se')." This would have implied that the gift might be expected to be given in either separately, or in both together. As it is, the Imposition of Hands is specified as that act in the baptismal service by which the Church expected the gift to be given. 2 How completely the Damascene considered the Laying on of Hands, and the gifts conferred by it, to be a part of Baptism, is witnessed by his note upon 1 Thess. v. 23 : " By the ' Spirit/ he means the gift (xapiff/na) which each received through Baptism. For in those days each person baptized received a gift, and worked signs. ... He prays therefore that this gift, which ^ l Io. Damasc. De Haer. p. 97 (Le Quien) : oOS* 7 op to rj parTl TTJS fKK\niJLa.ros itdv MfToAa/tjSaj/ejj' rotiy /ScwrTifoueVous. 2 The correlative to the o<38* is not the tf, but the /col before \a &v Ttva (cat 5/ Remission and tJie Grace of the Spirit. 385 he calls their ' Spirit,' may abide in them whole, that they may in no way be deprived of the inworking of the Holy Ghost." * Or again, even where he distinguishes between various benefits of Baptism : "The remission of sins, indeed, is given to all equally through Baptism, but the grace of the Spirit according to the proportion of faith and of preparatory cleansing. At the time, we receive through Baptism the firstfruits of the Holy Ghost, and our regeneration becomes to us the beginning of a different life, and a seal, and a safeguard, and an illumination. But we must with all our power keep ourselves safely clean from foul deeds." 2 It must not be argued from such expressions that S. John considered these blessings the " gift " or " Spirit " by which the first Christians worked signs, or " the grace of the Spirit " which is proportioned to our capacity for receiving and using it to be given in the baptismal water apart from the complementary rite. They are given through a Baptism which in- cludes Confirmation, administered by "the Layings on of the hands of the clergy," and by the Unction which he proceeds to mention within a few lines of the passage last quoted : "The oil (cAeuov) is used along with Baptism, signifying our unction, and making us christs, and promising us the mercy (tXtov) of God through the Holy Ghost ; because to those who were saved from the Deluge the dove brought a twig of olive (cXat'ae)." 8 1 In Epp. Paul. p. 221. D Fid. Orth. p. 261. * Ibid. p. 262. 2 C 386 P ho tins. A century and a half later, came the great schism between East and West. One of the great causes, or at least one of the alleged occasions of it, was the con- temptuous way in which the Latins treated the con- firmations of the Greeks. As being administered by simple priests, they considered it null and void, and reconfirmed the Bulgarians who had been recently converted to the faith by Greek missionaries. Photius raises an indignant outcry against what he describes as an unparalleled sacrilege, and argues that to deny to the priest the authority to confirm is to deny his priesthood altogether. In language highly coloured by recollections of the Areopagite, he says : "He consecrates the body and blood of the Lord Christ, and with these sanctifies again those who were before admitted to the secret; how shall he not sanctify by anointing with the ointment those who are now in course of initiation (row? vvv Tt\ov/j.tvovs) ? The priest baptizes, fully accomplishing upon the bap- tized the purifying gift ; how, when he is the rightful accomplisher of the purification, will you deprive him of the guard and seal of it ? " l Here the redoubtable Patriarch seems to make Baptism the greater thing. It is an a fortiori argu- ment with him that if a man can baptize, he can also confirm. Nevertheless, Photius is not at all inclined to acknowledge the validity of lay Confirmations, though in certain circumstances he allows of lay Baptism. If the layman has baptized presumptuously, without necessity, 1 Epist. I. xiii. 7. Oecumenius. 387 " We judge those who were baptized to have in no wise received the grace of the Spirit ; and therefore we decide that they be both baptized in water, and anointed with the holy ointment, and so be perfected." If on the other hand the Baptism has been per- formed in a heathen country by a layman for lack of a priest, it is not to be repeated, but the' Unction must. 1 It is assumed that the layman will have anointed as well as baptized. Photius frankly and simply traces the gift of the Holy Spirit to the apostolic act of Confirmation, when, commenting on Heb. vi. 1, 2, he says : " The word of Christ. What word ? The word of the doctrine that we must lay a foundation of repentance from dead works ; the word of the doctrine that we must believe upon God ; the word of the doctrine that we must be baptized ; the word of the doctrine that we must obtain (ata>0i}veu) the Holy Ghost; the word of the doctrine that there will be a resurrection, and that there will be a judgment." 2 I shall conclude this review of the teaching of the ancient fathers of the Eastern Church with a few extracts from two famous commentators, who, with- out much originality, but with much judgment, gathered up the exegetical teaching of former generations. Oecumenius, a Thessalian prelate at the end of the tenth century, gives us these notes : On Acts ii. 38 : " Let each one of you be baptized, he says ; for 1 Epist. I. xviii. 1. z Apud Oecum. in loo. 388 Theophylact. this is the foundation of those who believe in Christ. This, then, he receives first ; and after this he proceeds to that which is the finish to the foundation (TO TT/OOC r Oe/jLtXiy re'Aoc), and speaks of the gift of the Holy Ghost, because by means of this their faith is shewn." On Heb. v. 1, 2 : " He calls Baptism the beginning, and the Laying on of Hands and Seal which takes place in it (KOU rrjv tv ai/rw T(JJV xtfjOaJv 7Ti0(nv icat er^/oa-yiSa)." On 1 John ii. 20 : " For by means of Holy Baptism, ye received the sacred Chrism, and thereby the Divine Spirit which leads you into all the truth." Theophylact, who, about two hundred years after the time of Photius, was Exarch of that Bulgarian Church over which Rome and the East had fought, repeats word for word the remarks of S. Chrysostom upon 1 Cor. xii. 13 which I have given above, 1 referring the " drinking " of the Spirit to that " coming " which takes place between Baptism and the first Com- munion. On Acts viii. 17, he says : " It is to be noted that after the Baptism, the Holy Ghost comes upon those who are being baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, by the Laying on of Hands with prayer. Wherefore also to this day the order is thus preserved (17 Ta^tg OVTM ^uAarrsreu)." Upon 2 Cor. i. 21 he remarks : "For such is every one on being baptized [namely prophet, priest, and king] ; prophet, as having seen Summary. 389 what eye never saw, nor ear heard ; priest as bound to offer himself a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God ; and king as having been made a son of God the King of all, and an heir of the kingdom to come, and as now reigning over wrong thoughts and being superior to the whole world. As, therefore, the ancient priests and kings were anointed with the oil, so now we also were anointed with the Spirit, God having given in our hearts the earnest of the Spirit." As the eye runs once more over the teaching of the Greek and Oriental Fathers here set forth, one thing at least is apparent. For very many centuries the Christians of the East have never been forced to define to themselves at all clearly the position of a person baptized but unconfirmed. Their mode of administering Confirmation by the hands of the baptizing presbyter though, among the Greeks and some others, with chrism prepared by the bishop relieves them from the necessity which weighs upon us Westerns, of teaching Christian children what their status is between the two rites. Confirmation is for them, far more than it has been for a long while in the West, a factor in Baptism. Only a more or less conscious desire not to fall behind Western teachers in honouring the perfecting Unction can have led their later authorities to treat that Unction as a sacrament numerically distinct from Baptism. To all the early doctors of the East the two things are one ; and Baptism culminates in the Unction. The tendency among Oriental Christians was, not to attribute to Baptism in our modern sense, the gift 390 Teaching of the Greek Fathers. of the Holy Ghost, but rather to consider Baptism by itself as a bare rite, benefiting the body alone, and dependent for its spiritual efficacy upon other actions, after and before. Not that this tendency has its full way. The Greek Fathers may be said certainly on the whole to trace the forgiveness of sins, the preparatory cleansing, to the baptismal laver; the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the ordinary purposes of Christian living, they trace, like S. Chrysostom, to that act which comes "immediately after Baptism, and before the Mysteries." APPENDIX III. OFFICES OF BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION IN THE EASTERN CHURCHES. I. THE GREEK CHURCH. A DISTINGUISHING feature of the Greek baptismal offices is to be found in the long and frequent addresses of exhor- tation and instruction delivered at the beginning by the " Archbishop " that is, of Constantinople. Amidst these addresses come the usual renunciation of the devil and con- fession of faith, and then, after certain prayers, an imposi- tion of hands upon all who are ready for Baptism. 1 Presently the deacon begins a litany in which among others the following petitions occur : "That this water may be sanctified by the power and operation and coming of the Holy Ghost. That the grace of redemption, the blessing of Jordan may be sent down upon it. That the cleansing operation of the super-essen- tial Trinity may come down upon these waters. That we may be enlightened with the enlightenment of knowledge and godliness by the coming of the Holy Ghost. For him who now comes to the holy enlightenment, and for his salvation. That he may be made a son of light and an heir of good things. That he may be planted together and made partaker of the death and resurrection of Christ 1 Asseman Cod. Lit. vol. i. p. Ill foil. The order of Baptism itself, and of Confirmation, will be found in vols. ii. and iii. respec- tively. 392 Greek baptismal Liturgy. our God. That he may preserve the robe of Baptism, and the earnest of the Spirit, unspotted and unblameable in the terrible day of Christ our God. That this water may be made to him a washing of regeneration, unto remission of sins and^ a robe of incorruption." These petitions are not carefully sorted, or arranged after an intelligible order. They appear to contemplate a Baptism in which the various movements of mercy are supposed to be inextricably blended together. The priest meanwhile has been silently praying for himself, and then proceeds with the prayer of consecration of the water : " O Lord of all things, make this a water of redemption, a water of sanctification, the cleansing of flesh and spirit, the loosing of bonds, the remission of trespasses, the en- lightenment of souls, the laver of regeneration, the renew- ing of the Spirit, the grace of adoption, the robe of incorruption, the fountain of life. For Thou, Lord, hast said, ' Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil from your souls.' Thou didst bestow on us the new birth from above, by water and the Holy Ghost. Manifest Thyself, O Lord, upon this water, and grant that he who is bap- tized in it may be made anew (/ieraTrorj^vai), unto putting away the old man, which corrupteth according to the lusts of deceit, and unto putting on the new, which is renovated according to the image of Him that created him ; in order that being planted together in the likeness of His death through Baptism, he may be made partaker also of His resurrection, and having guarded the gift of Thy Holv Spirit, and having increased the grace committed to him, he may receive the prize of the high calling, and be num- bered among the firstborn which are enrolled in heaven." Immediately after this comes the blessing of the oil, to be of course distinguished from the chrism, which was consecrated only during the Eucharist of Maundy Thursday : Greek baptismal Liturgy. 393 " Lord, the Lord God of our fathers, who didst send to them who were in Noah's ark a dove with a twig of olive in her mouth as a symbol of reconciliation, and didst thereby prefigure the mystery both of salvation from the flood and of grace ; and didst supply the fruit of the olive for the fulfilment of Thy holy mysteries ; Thou who by it didst both fill those that were under the law with the Holy Spirit, and dost perfect those that are in grace ; Bless Thou this present oil, by the power and operation and coming of Thy Holy Ghost, so that it may be made a chrism of incorruption, an armour of righteousness, reno- vation of soul and body, a turning away of all operation of the devil, unto riddance of all evils, unto them that are anointed with it or partake of it." The oil is poured thrice upon the water in the form of a cross, and then the candidate for Baptism is presented to the priest, who signs him with it crosswise on the brow and breast and back, saying, "The servant of God, N., is anointed with the oil of gladness In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, now and ever and world without end. Amen." Other parts of the body are then similarly " sealed," each unction being accompanied by a formula of compara- tively recent introduction ; and then comes the actual Baptism, without any further prayers intervening, in the precisely parallel form : " The servant of God, N., is baptized In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, now and ever and world without end. Amen." The priest then washes his hands, singing with the people the Psalm, " Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven and whose sin is covered ; " and then the bap- tized is clothed with the same formula : " The servant of God, N., is clothed with the garment 394 Greek Confirmation Prayer. of righteousness In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, now and ever and world without end. Amen." After which is sung the troparion, " Give me a shining garment, Thou that deckest Thyself with light as with a garment, most merciful Christ, our God." And then follows the Confirmation. " And after he is clothed the priest proceeds to pray this prayer : " Blessed art Thou, Lord God Almighty, the Foun- tain of good, the Sun of righteousness, who didst cause the light of salvation to shine on them that were in dark- ness, through the appearing of Thy only begotten Son our God, and didst bestow on us, unworthy though we be, the blessed cleansing in the holy water, and the divine sanctifi- cation in the life-giving chrism ; Who hast now also vouchsafed to regenerate Thy servant, the newly enlight- ened, by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given unto him the remission of his sins both voluntary and involun- tary ; Do Thou, O Lord, the compassionate King of all, bestow on him the seal of the gift of Thine holy and almighty and adorable Spirit, and the partaking of the holy body and precious blood of Thy Christ ; keep him in Thy santification, confirm him in the orthodox faith, de- liver him from the evil one and all his devices, and preserve his soul, by Thy saving fear, in purity and righteousness ; that pleasing Thee in every work and word, he may be made a son and heir of Thy heavenly kingdom. " And after the prayer, he anoints the baptized (TOV /?a?r- Tio-0eVra) with the holy Ointment, making the sign of the cross upon the forehead, and the eyes, and the nostrils, and the mouth, and the two ears, and the breast, and the hands, and the feet, saying : " The seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Consecration of the Chrism. 395 To these formularies must be added the Prayer of Con- secration of the Chrism, which is performed with circum- stances of the greatest solemnity. " Lord of mercy and Father of lights, from whom is given every good bestowal and every perfect gift, grant to us, unworthy though we be, grace for the ministry of this great and life-giving mystery, as Thou gavest unto Moses Thy faithful minister and Samuel Thy servant, and unto Thy holy Apostles ; and send down Thy most Holy Spirit upon this ointment. Make it a royal chrism, a spiritual chrism, to preserve life, to sanctify souls and bodies, an oil of gladness which indeed went before in the law but shone forth in the new Covenant ; wherewith were anointed priests and high priests, prophets and kings ; through which also Thou didst Thyself anoint Thy holy Apostles, and all who through the laver of regeneration were by them and by the bishops and presbyters who came after them begotten anew, until this day. And Lord, Almighty God, make it by the coming of Thy holy and adorable Spirit a robe of incorruption, and a seal which maketh perfect, stamping upon those who receive Thy Divine washing the Divine naming of Thee and of Thy only begotten Son and of the Holy Ghost ; that they may be known in Thy sight, of Thy household, and citizens, bondmen and servants of Thine, sanctified in soul and body, being rid of all vice, and redeemed from all sin, by the investiture of the robe of Thy undefiled glory, to be known by means of this holy signing by the holy angels and archangels, and by every heavenly power, and to be terrible to the evil and unclean demons ; that they may be a people of possession, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, sealed through this un- defiled mystery of Thine, and having Thy Christ in their hearts, for an habitation of Thee our God and Father in the Holy Spirit ; for Thou art holy, our God, and dost rest in them that are holy, and to Thee we ascribe 396 Armenian baptismal Liturgy. glory, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, now and ever and world without end. Amen." 1 Perhaps no Church has gone so far, in its public offices, to obscure the primitive doctrine of Baptism and Confirma- tion as the Greek, running the two into one, and trans- ferring so much of the blessing of Confirmation to the unction which precedes Baptism. Yet even here the difference is not lost sight of. Not a word is said which implies the giving of the Holy Ghost by means of the baptismal immersion. Tha primaeval prayer still follows the Baptism, that He who has vouchsafed to regenerate the neophyte by water and the Holy Ghost, and has given him forgiveness of sins, will proceed to bestow upon him the gift of the Spirit. II. THE ARMENIAN CHURCH. IN the Armenian Church, after the renunciation and pro- fession, the clergy go to the altar, and the Chrism, which has been already " prepared," is blessed. "Let us beseech the Lord that the Holy Spirit may come down upon this oil. " Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, who hast chosen a new people for Thyself, to be a priesthood, and to be a kingdom, a holy nation, a peculiar people, even as of old Thou didst anoint priests, and prophets, and kings, with the like most holy oil. And now we pray Thee, O Lord, in mercy send the graces of Thy Holy Spirit upon this oil, that he who shall be therewith anointed, may be cleansed, and fortified with spiritual wisdom in the conflict, that he may triumph over the adversary, and may be endowed with virtue in the keeping of the commandments, in the perfect exercise of the work of honesty and piety ; so that being enlightened in the understanding, and living in good 1 Habert Pontificate Eccl. Grace, p. 696, or Goar Euchol p. 628. Benediction of the Font. 397 manners in this world, to the salvation of his soul and the honour and glory of the most Holy Trinity, he may be found worthy to obtain the company of those who love Thy name in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due glory, dominion, and honour, now and ever, and world without end." The water is then poured into the font, in the form of a cross, and after the Prophet, Epistle, and Gospel, a litany is said, resembling that in the Greek formulary, but containing no expressions which shew any special belief with regard to the respective parts of the sacrament ; after which follows the benediction of the font : " Thou, Lord, by Thy great power hast made the sea, and the dry laud, and all creatures that are in them. Thou didst separate the waters that be above the firmament, and didst appoint them for a habitation of shining angels, which stand to glorify Thee continually. Thou didst also send Thy holy Apostles, bidding them to preach, and to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Moreover Thou didst decree by Thine unfailing word that those who are not born again of water and the Spirit shall not see eternal life. And for fear "thereof , this Thy servant, desiring everlasting life, cometh of his own accord to the spiritual Baptism of this water. Send forth., we pray, Lord, Thy Holy Spirit upon this water, and sanctify it, as Thou didst sanctify Jordan by descending into it most clean from sins, Lord Jesu Christ, to institute this fountain of Baptism for all men. Grant to this person, now being baptized, that this water may be for remission of sins, conferring the grace of adoption of sons of Thy heavenly Father, and the inheri- tance of the kingdom of heaven ; so that being cleansed from sins, he may live according to the good pleasure of Thy will in this world, and may receive the boundless good things to come, and perpetually giving thanks with joy, 398 Armenian Baptism may glorify Thee with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and world without end." Chrism is then poured upon the water ; the candidate is stripped, and the priest says : " Thou who hast called this Thy servant unto sanctifica- tion and the Baptism of illumination, vouchsafe to give him Thy great grace. Strip him of the oldness of sins, and renew him to new life ; fill him with the virtue of the Holy Ghost unto renewal of the glory of Thy Christ. For to Thee is due, with Thy only begotten Son and the lifegiving Holy Spirit, glory, dominion, and honour, now and ever, and world without end. " Then he places the infant in the font, and with his hand he pours of the water over his head, saying thrice : " N. is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Redeemed by the blood of Christ from the bondage of sins, he obtaiueth the liberty of the adoption of sons of the heavenly Father, that he may be made a co-heir of Christ, and a temple of the Holy Ghost, now and ever and world without end. " Saying thus he thrice dips the candidate, thrice in the water burying the sins of old. It signifies also the three days' burial of Christ and the Resurrection. And washing the whole body, he says, "Ye that are baptized in Christ, have put on Christ, Alleluia ; ye that are illuminated in the Father, in you shall the Holy Ghost rejoice." Then, after the reading of the conclusion of S. Matthew's Gospel, and the Lord's Prayer, comes the Confirmation. " God, who art great and everlasting, and knowest all hidden things ; who art holy, and dwellest in them that art holy ; Saviour of all men, who dost grant to Thy faithful the knowledge of the truth, and hast given them power to become the sons of God by regeneration of water and the Spirit ; with which (quo) Thou hast sweetly renewed this and Confirmation. 399 Thy servant N. by Thy washing ; sanctify him with Thy truth, and with the light of the graces of Thy Holy Spirit, that he may be made a temple and a habitation of Thy Godhead, and may be able with boldness to stand before the altar of Thy Only-begotten, our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom," etc. " And afterwards he signs him with the sacred Chrism, first the brow, saying, " The sweet oil poured out in the name of Jesus Christ upon thee, the seal of the heavenly gifts. " (Ears, saying'} Let it be an unction of sanctification for hearing the Divine commandments. " (Eyes) Let this seal in the name of Christ enlighten thine eyes that thou mayest never sleep in death. " (Nostrils) Let this seal of Christ be to thee an odour of sweetness of life unto life. " (MoutK) Let this seal be a watch and a guarded door to thy lips. " (Hands held joined) Let this seal of Christ be to thee a cause of good works and of virtuous manners. " (Breast) Let this Divine seal confirm a clean heart in thee, and renew a right spirit in thy inward parts. " (Shoulder) Let this seal in the name of Christ be to thee a shield of defence, by Avhich thou mayest quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. " (Feet) Let this divine seal direct thy feet and thy steps unto eternal life. " (Shoulder blades) He shall defend thee under His wings, and thou shalt be safe under His feathers. "After this let him say, Peace be with thee. The baptized answers, And with thy spirit. Next he clothes him, and crowns him, and says this prayer : " O Lord God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Thee the faithful bow their heads. Stretch forth Thine invisible right hand and bless this person." 400 Armenian Confirmation. And then the prayer becomes general, and the Holy Communion ensues. Asseman gives a second Armenian office of Baptism, somewhat longer than the first ; but there is nothing specially remarkable in the differences. Perhaps the most interesting for our purpose is the more articulate expression in the prayer between Baptism and Confirmation : " And hast given them right to become the sons of God by new birth of water and the Spirit ; whereby (guibus) Thou hast renewed this Thy servant, N. (hoc nomine}, through the purification of Thy font. Fill him with the grace of Thy Spirit, that he may," etc. Asseman (Cod, Lit. vol. iii. p. 124, note 1) says that as Baptism and Confirmation are administered together by the Armenians, the fact that they are separate sacraments is in common language generally unknown. The whole service bears the title of the " Seal," as culminating in so elaborate a form of Confirmation. But the distinction between the two parts of the united sacrament is very fairly preserved. Though in the benedic- tion of the Chrism, it is spoken of as " cleansing," as well as " fortifying," yet, when the more explicit language is used, the grace asked from the font itself is " remission of sins ; " that it may " confer the grace of adoption, and the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven : " the grace asked from the unction is, to be " sanctified with the truth and with the light of the graces of the Holy Spirit " (or accord- ing to the other form, to be " filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit ") in order to be " a temple and a habitation for the Godhead." If it is (apparently) asked that in Baptism itself the man may be " filled with the virtue of the Holy Ghost," the scope of the prayer is immediately defined by the addition "unto renewal." 1 As Asseman 1 The words which follow" of the glory of Thy Christ "are not eaay to understand. If they are rightly given, perhaps they mean that Confirmation in the Syrian Churches. 401 points out, the Armenian Church has no unction before Baptism. This has, no doubt, contributed to keeping the doctrine of the Seal the clearer. III. THE SYRIAN CHURCHES (CHALDEAN, NESTORIAN, MALABARIAN). IT was affirmed by the Romanensian mission which invaded the Church of Malabar in the sixteenth century, that that ancient community had no acquaintance with the sacra- ment of Confirmation. Regulations regarding it formed, accordingly, a prominent feature in the Synod of Diamper (1599). 1 But Asseman, within the Roman Communion, lias pointed out how little foundation in fact there is for the assertion, and so has Renaudot in his Perpetuite de la Foi. More recently, Bickell, in the Zeitschrift fur Katholische Theologie (1877 p. 85 foil.), has devoted an interesting article to Confirmation among the Nestorians. The accusation brought against the Syrian Church of Malabar might be brought with equal justice against the Armenian Church, or, for that matter, against many of the Greek fathers. Confirmation was not known to them as a separate sacrament, standing by itself. But the ancient office books of the Christians of S. Thomas, as well as of their co-religionists near the Euphrates, shew that they have continuously preserved something answering to the rite, though it differs from the general usage both in respect to the minister being consecrated by any pres- byter and also in respect to the matter consisting only of oil olive, without the admixture of perfumes. Each the glory of Chriat is manifested in the renewal of fallen man through Baptism. 1 See Gedfles History of the Church of Malabar pp. 65, 209. My attention WHS first called to these regulations ly the Rev. G. F. Hodges. 2 D 4O2 Syrian preparations for Baptism. fresh consecration of oil, however, is effected by the in- fusion of some already consecrated, which is supposed to have been delivered down from the Apostles. The prayers which precede Baptism in this office run to a great length, and though beautiful are very wordy. After the Pater Noster, and a prayer to be enabled to administer aright, and a Psalm, the priest makes a first imposition of hands, prefaced by this prayer : " Stretch forth, Lord our God, Thy right hand from Thy sanctuary on high, and bless and keep, of Thy clemency, these souls which expect to receive the gifts of Thy grace, Lord of all." The prayer accompanying this rite contains the expression that the candidates (like the good fish of the Parable) are "cast into the holy vessel of propitiatory Baptism" (a constant epithet in this office), " that by a new and spiritual generation they may be born again to the increase of their faith, and since their bodies are free from the taint of sin, 1 they may receive an unchangeable expiation, and be made members of Christ, and be fed at the table of His sacraments." The transition here from the initial grace of Baptism to the Holy Eucharist seems very rapid. The candidates are then signed (with " the oil of unction," according to Badger) upon the face, with the words, " N. is signed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Grhost." All then enter the baptistry, and according to Badger's form, a kind of introit is sung in which the baptismal graces are more fully expressed : " The gates of the spiritual chamber of the Bridegroom are opened, for the forgiveness of the sins of men, and 1 This seems a curious phrase ; but Badger Kestorians, and their EituaU vol. ii. p. 196, whose office differs in a good many details from Asseman's, has the same expression, " his body being undefiled by the filth of Biu." Syrian preparations for Baptism. 403 through the gift of the Spirit from on high mercy and peace are now vouchsafed to all mankind." In the long prayer which follows, the Apostles are said to have had Baptism committed to them by Christ, who taught them " to make it a beginning of faith and a school- master of the fear of God, and a sign of those who are converted from error to the acknowledgment of the truth ; and the Apostles delivered this form to the priests and rulers of the flock of Christ that it might be to them a seal and a discipline 1 in every generation. Now therefore behold, many are prepared to receive the gift of Baptism for the confession of the precious passion of our Saviour, their soul consenting in faith and charity to Him, who by regeneration has renewed our constitution, and forgiven our sin, and raised up our fall ; and are expecting through the holy Seal and through propitiatory Baptism to be made members and partakers of the same likeness with Him who is the Head of the Church, and the Firstbegotten of the dead." God is asked to " send them the gift of the Spirit to strengthen the weakness of their nature, that they may not doubt the visible sacraments by which they receive future good things which pass not away." Another prayer says that Christ was baptized in order to consecrate the waters, " that by His unseen power, and by the armour of the Spirit, which they put on from them (ex Us, from the waters, apparently 2 ), Satan our enemy might be defeated by those who in faith are baptized in them " ; and goes on to ask " that those who are about to receive the seal of life, renouncing Satan and all his works, and being perfected and completed in the true faith of the Father, and the Sou, and the Holy Ghost, may be made worthy to receive this great and wonderful 1 Badger : " a sign wherewith to make disciples." 2 Badger has simply " the weapons of the Spirit wherewith those are endued who are baptized in faith." 404 Syrian preparations for Baptism. gift, and may put off in the propitiatory Baptism the old man . . . and may in the laver of the holy waters put on the new . . . and may take from the holy altar the body and blood of Christ . . . keeping the gift of abundant mercies which they receive through the Spirit ; so that He (the Spirit) may lead them from this world to the region of life and light, and that they may be made coheirs with Christ." After this the water is poured into the font, and after Epistle and Gospel, and two litanies, follows a second laying on of hands, prefaced by a prayer that God would " pour out His gift through the hands " of the priest, and then the consecration of the oil. " We pray Thee . . . that grace may come from the gift of the Holy Ghost, who is of Thee in the perfection of His person, and is partaker of Thy essence and Thy creative power, and may be mingled with this oil, and may bestow on all who are therewith anointed the earnest of resurrection from the dead, which is given for perfecting the adoption of sons, and for delivering from sinful affec- tions, and for the pleasure of heavenly rest. For Thou by Thy wise guidance hast uplifted this world in the coming of Thy Christ to an understanding worthy of Thy Trinity, and hast given them a change of spiritual gifts which are meet for the acknowledgment of Thy faith. For the holy oil which Thou gavest to them of old for a seal and faculty of a temporal priesthood and a transitory kingship, that same Thou hast now committed to the priests of the Church to be a sign and figure of those who pass from earthly things to heavenly in an immortal body and an unchangeable soul, and are thereby circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, putting off the flesh of sin in the circumcision of Christ." " So now also, O Lord, by Thy grace let this great and divine sacrament be accomplished, and let grace from the Baptism in the Syrian Church. 405 gift of the Holy Ghost come, and dwell, and abide upon this oil, and bless it, and seal it, and sanctify it, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost ; and may this * anointing oil ' by the power of Thy grace be such that it may bestow on those who are anointed with it in the life-giving seal, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, perfect and true sanctification, and the high fellowship of the kingdom of heaven, by means of that Baptism, which is performed in the figure of the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." The priest signs the vessel of oil upon the altar with oil from the horn of already consecrated oil, saying ; " This oil is sealed and mingled with the holy oil, that it may be a type of incorruptibility through propitiatory Baptism, in the name," etc. They then proceed to consecrate the water, praying that " the Spirit Himself may come upon these waters, that they may receive virtue for the help and salvation of those who are baptized in them," and sign the water with the consecrated oil in the horn. At length they pass on to direct action upon the candi- dates for Baptism. The priest with three fingers anoints them from the top downwards (according to Badger the reverse way) and from right to left saying ; "N. is anointed in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." The whole body is next anointed all over carefully, and immediately after, without intervening prayers, the candi- date is placed in the font and baptized. In so doing the priest is bidden to lay his hand upon the head of the baptized ; according to the rubric in Badger, " so that his head may be submerged," a gesture which we have seen in Theodoret and others. "Then the priest comes forth out of the door of the 406 Imposition of Hands and the screen, with the cross, the gospel, censer, lights, and the horn of unction, and the deacon says : " Let us pray, Peace be with us. " The priest prays : " Glory to Thee, most High, who earnest down and didst put on the body of our lowliness, and didst make it Thine in all things pertaining to Thy Divinity, and through it didst promise that Thou wouldest make us all heirs of Thy glory, and sharers of Thy honour, Lord of all. " And they begin the canon, come let us sing unto the Lord, etc. " From error, from sins, and from death, our Lord by His Baptism hath delivered us. Let us worship Hun and praise Him. " The priest recites this Imposition of the Hand, laying his hand upon each one of them, and saying : " Great, Lord, and wonderful are the works of Thy Providence, and our reasonable nature is incapable of utter- ing them. For we, when we were first created, wickedly changed the honour of our freedom through the seduction of Satan who ravaged us, and the confession of Thy God- head with the worshipping of him who is not God. 1 But Thy grace in no wise left us in the perdition which for our evil deeds we deserved ; but by the sending of the only- begotten God, Thy Word, in flesh, Thou didst bring us back to Thee, and madest us meet to acknowledge Thee ; Thou hast raised up the low estate of our nature by His taking the place of Firstborn among us, and hast made us heirs of the good things to come which have no end. And when that time was come, for which we looked, for the adoption of sons, unto the redemption of our bodies, Thou gavest us the pledge of consolation, the grace of the Holy Ghost, which is received from the holy sacraments of 1 Asseman's text contains a word corruptionis in this sentence, which appears impossible to translate. It does not appear in Badger. Seal in the Syrian Churches. 407 spiritual Baptism : even as these Thy servants and hand- maidens have drawn near to-day and have put on that gift, whereby being loosed from sinful affections they have been made pure members in the body of Christ who is our Head. And we look that Thy grace may keep them in chastity of life and purity of works, that being full of faith and righteousness they may meet the reverend appearing of our Saviour Christ, and may enjoy the new and indis- soluble life, and may raise to Thee glory and honour and thanksgiving and adoration, now and ever and world Avithout end. " And he signs each one of them upon the forehead with his right thumb, from beneath upwards, and from the right to the left, saying : " N. is baptized and perfected in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." The priest adds : "The pledge of the Holy Ghost which thou hast re- ceived ; the sacrament of Christ which thou hast taken ; the new life which thou hast possessed ; the armour of righteousness which thou hast put on ; preserve thee from the evil one and his powers, and sanctify thy members with purity ; and may that seal which thou hast received be to thee for good things to come which pass not away, at the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and may He in His new world place thee at His right hand, and mayest thou raise glory and thanksgiving to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost now and ever and world without end. Amen." IV. THE JACOBITE CHURCHES. AssEif AN gives a considerable number of Syriac baptismal offices, belonging to the Jacobite communities of Antioch, Jerusalem, and elsewhere ; but the differences between them are not very great. It can hardly be doubted by 408 Jacobite preparations for Baptism. those who read them carefully through, that the same confusing tendency which has made these Oriental bodies to take a Monophysite view of the Incarnation, has been at work upon their doctrine of the baptismal gifts. In this way it comes about that the rite which ought to be con- sidered most truly to represent the apostolic Laying on of Hands is performed before Baptism, not after it, and is, apparently, supposed to form one effect with it. In the prayers which look forward to the future initia- tion of a young child, sometimes Confirmation seems to merge in Baptism, and sometimes Baptism in Confirmation. Thus : " Make this Thy servant meet, we beseech Thee, that by the help of Thy boundless power he may come to the Baptism of incorruption, and by the communion of Thy Body and Blood may be made a partner of Thine elect." Or, as it is elsewhere, at one of the preliminary impo- sitions of the hand : "Stretch forth the right hand of Thy divine Majesty along with the feeble right hand of the priest Thy servant, and bless this infant, that by Thy hidden power he may be signed with the reverend seal of Thy most holy Cross [which is just about to be set upon him] ; and let Thy grace accompany him all the days of his life that he may come to Thy holy temple and to the venerable seal of the pure Chrism and of the sweet odour, through which, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, we are made sons of God and hen's of Thy kingdom." Immediately after the latter prayer comes the benediction and ministration of the oil of the catechumeuate, which appears to take to itself something of that which rightly belongs to the greater Unction : " Our Father which art in heaven, Lord of the world, in Thy name and in the name of Thy Christ and in the name of Thy Holy Ghost, we sign this oil, that Thy virtue may Jacobite preparations for Baptism. 409 endue it, and the help of Thy Divinity be mingled with it, that whosoever shall be permitted to be anointed with it, may put on the armour of the Spirit upon his members, and prevail to resist the devil and his powers." In the form which seems from Asseman's account to be the chief and most usual form, one of the initial prayers contains the request '" That they may be made worthy of the regeneration from above by water and the Spirit : moreover (ad hoc) that they may be sheep of the true Shepherd, sealed with the Seal of Thy Holy Spirit, and honourable members in the body of Thy holy Church." Another : " Thou who hast given a blessed purification in the healthful waters, and divine sanctification in the holy anointing, and union with our Lord Jesus Christ through the partaking of His sacred Body and Blood." The next prayer is less exact : " Give them, O Lord, that holy breathing of Thine, which Thy only begotten Son breathed upon His disciples, and drive far from their minds all remains of idolatry, 1 preparing them for the reception of Thy Holy Spirit, that they may be made worthy of the washing of regeneration." Here the receiving of the Spirit is a preparation for the new birth. After the Catechism, or renunciations and professions, the priest prays : " Be pleased, O Lord, to send upon them Thy Holy Spirit, and come down and search out all their members, and forecleanse and sanctify them, that they may be made worthy of the holy Unction and of perfect faith through Christ Jesus our Lord." Here, on the other hand, Baptism seems to be lost in the Chrism. 1 A reference, no doubt, to exorcism by " exsufflation." 4io Jacobite preparations for Baptism. Immediately after this last prayer follows that Impo- sition of Hands, which, from the prayer accompanying it, ought, as I have said, to be considered as most truly repre- senting the Apostolic rite, only unfortunately misplaced : " Holy Father, who by the hands of Thy holy Apostles didst give the Holy Spirit to those who were baptized, now also, using the shadow of my hands, send Thy Holy Spirit upon those who are to be baptized, that being filled with Hun and with His divine gifts, they may yield to Thee fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. From Thee is every good bestowal and every perfect gift ; and to Thee we raise glory, and to Thy only begotten Son, and to the Holy Ghost. " The priest dips his thumb in the olive oil and signs them on their foreheads with three crosses, saying after this fashion : "N. is signed with the oil of gladness against every operation of the adversary, and that he may be grafted into the good olive, in the holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, in the name of the Father, Amen, and of the Son, Amen, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen, unto the life of the world eternal, Amen." As a matter of fact all that has thus far been done has been the making of a catechumen, although the language seems to imply more. But the service proceeds without a break to Baptism and the Seal. Amongst other prayers?, the priest prays : " Give virtue to the waters of Baptism, O Thou who through the Passion of Thy Christ dost grant remission from every sin, unto abundant reception of Thy Holy Spirit." This appears to teach that the Spirit is received in Baptism itself, though it need not necessarily mean that it is more than a preparation for the same. The prayer of consecration of the font which follows soon after does Baptism in the Jacobite Churches. 411 not include this gift in its enumeration of blessings asked : " Make these waters waters of comfort, waters of glad- ness and rejoicing, waters mystically designed by the Death and Resurrection of Thy only begotten Son, waters of expiation, the cleansing of impurity of flesh and spirit, the loosing of bonds, the remission of falls, the illumina- tion of souls, the washing of regeneration, the gift of adoption of sons, the garment of incorruption, the renewal of Thy Holy Spirit, waters that wash away every stain of soul and body." But then, after a fine invocation of the Holy Ghost upon the water, follows : " Thou who didst send Thy Holy Ghost in the form of a dove upon Thy only begotten Son, who is God and Word, who fulfilled upon earth the discipline of baptism ; and didst sanctify the streams of Jordan ; may it please Thee now, Lord, that that Holy Ghost of Thine may abide upon these Thy servants now being baptized, and do Thou perfect them and make them of the household of Thy Christ, purging them by Thy sacred laver." Again another unction is performed, this time over the Avhole body, and the person is placed in the font, while these and other songs are sung : " With holy oil God commanded that Aaron should be anointed and then sanctified. With holy oil the simple sheep are anointed who are come to Baptism. " The priest doth stand beside the font, and tiall upon the Holy Ghost who descendeth from on high. The Holy Ghost falleth and descendeth and dwelleth in the waters and sanctifieth them." Then comes the actual Baptism, followed by the Psalm, " Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven " ; and the priest proceeds immediately to the " Seal of the Chrism " : " This Seal also let these Thy servants receive, who 412 Confirmation in the through the faith of their Baptism have been enrolled among Thy soldiers ; that they, being filled through this Chrism with every odour of spiritual sweetness, may not be over- taken by powers of the enemy, fearing nothing from the principalities and powers of darkness, but walking in the light may be the sons of light, and so may proceed in Thee, and arrive at Thee. For Thou art the true light, and in Thy light we see light, and Thine is the glory now and ever and world without end." This prayer no doubt has reference to the common title of Baptism Enlightenment. " Then he turns to the baptized, and signs them with the sacred Chrism upon their foreheads, and upon their throats, thrice saying, " With the holy Chrism, with the sweetness of the savour of Christ, with the seal of the true faith, with the completion of the gift of the Holy Ghost, N. is sealed in the name of the Father," etc. " And bowing down he prays, " Blessed art Thou, O Lord Almighty, fountain of life and of good things, Father of true light, who by the arising of Thy only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ hast enlightened them that are on earth as well as them that are in heaven ; who hast given a blessed purification in healthful Baptism, and divine sanctification in the holy Anointing and union with Thy Christ through Thy quickening Spirit ; who now also hast been pleased through our ministry to regenerate Thy servants by water and the Spirit unto hope of eternal life, and hast bestowed on them remission of the sins which, whether willingly or un- willingly, they had before contracted, and hast translated them into Thy dominion ; Send forth upon them, Lord, the grace of Thy Holy and quickening Spirit, and fill them with His sanctification. " And he raises his voice ; Jacobite Churches. 413 " Keep them in the acknowledgment of Thyself ; con- firm them in the faith ; preserve them in Thy fear ; stablish in their souls the way of Thy quickening commandments ; make them sons of light ; and that they may live without blame under the rule of Thy Christ, make them Avorthy, for Thou art the God of salvation, and to Thee we raise glory, with Thy only begotten Son and Thy Holy Spirit, now and ever and world without end." The other forms only differ from this in minute points. SECTION III. THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. UNLESS I have signally failed in the setting forth of the Scriptural and Patristic texts, two points will by this time be, I believe, abundantly clear ; first, that if we are to be guided by primitive antiquity, Confirma- tion is an integral part of Holy Baptism, 1 in such a sense that what we usually call Baptism is, without it, an unfinished fragment, although conveying priceless blessings ; and secondly, that the res sacramenti, the objective bounty extended by God for our acceptance, in this crowning part of Baptism, is that which bears the title of the gift of the Holy Ghost. In so special and unique a sense does this gift belong to Confirmation, that, notwith- standing all previous operations of the Holy Ghost upon the soul, the baptized but unconfirmed believer may, unless the Divine action departs from its ordi- nary course, be truly said not to have received the Holy Ghost. It must be allowed that such language has the appearance of being startling and unusual to those 1 An interesting trace of this doctrine is to be found in the ordinary Welsh name for Confirmation, which means " the Bishop's Baptism." " Melchiades" and later Roman doctrine. 415 who have grown up under the shadow of the modern traditions of the official theology of the West. The reader will not have forgotten a certain homily of the fifth century in which Faustus gave us a vigorous description of what Confirmation has to add to the blessings of Christian Baptism. 1 That homily has had an effect far wider and far other than the preacher ever dreamed that it would have. The utterances of the half Pelagian (whose name was lost) were worked up by the forger or forgers of the Decretals, into a letter purporting to issue from the pen of Melchiades, Bishop of Rome at the time of Constan- tine's conversion. The letter of the so-called Mel- chiades served S. Thomas Aquinas as the authority with which to bar, in his Summa, those who denied that Confirmation was a sacrament, and that it con- ferred the "grace which makes us acceptable." 2 From the authority given by S. Thomas's use of it, the letter had supreme weight in the deliberations of the Council of Trent, and is more quoted than any other ancient document in that section of the Tridentine Catechism which treats of Confirma- tion. It thus came to set the standard of doctrine on the subject to Latin Christianity, and extended its influence over many who, though not bound by the Tridentine decisions, yet pay deference to them. Now, among many other clearer expressions used by Faustus of Riez in his Pentecostal homily, occurs one which describes the benefit of Confirmation as an augmen- 1 See above p. 192. 2 Summ. Tkeol. part iii. vol. ii qnaest.lxxii. art. 1, 7. See also art. 8. 416 S. Thomas Aquinas makes turn ad gratiam a development, or additional gift thrown, as it were, into the bargain, for advancement in grace. This word augmentum worked with what might almost be called fatal effect upon those who read it as coming from Melchiades. It lent itself to a sense not intended by the Gallican homilist. As Baptism was the sacrament of birth, so Confirmation was now to be the sacrament of growth. By it, the soul new born in Baptism, was to rise at once from infancy into maturity of manhood. This is the view which chiefly commends itself to Aquinas. 1 The natural life suggests, as he says, analogies for the spiritual life : " Now it is plain that in the bodily life there is a special perfecting, by which the man comes to perfect age, and is able to do the perfect actions of a man ; whence also the Apostle says, ' When I became a man, I put away childish things.' Thence it comes also that besides the movement of generation, whereby a 1 Aquinas already, in treating of Baptism, had spoken though in passing only of that initial sacrament as conveying "the grace of the Holy Ghost and abundance of virtues." (Part iii. vol. ii. quaest. Ixix. art. 2.) The words are not his own, but those of the Glosa upon Tit. iii. 5, 6, in which passage S. Paul was no doubt thinking of Baptism as including Confirmation, not as contrasted with it. 8. Thomas does not speak of any impartition or indwelling of the Holy Ghost when he enumerates formally the benefits of Baptism ; he only speaks of Baptism as taking away sin and its guilt, incorporating us into Christ and making us partakers of His fulness. But to quote the whole of Tit iii. 5, 6, of Baptism pure and simple seems to attribute to it a grace which required a fuller exposition. The Tridentine Catechism went further still, and said that the grace of Baptism is spoken of in Scripture as being " shed abroad " and having as one of its ordinary appellations the title of " the earnest of the Holy Spirit." (De Bapt. Sacr. 41. Compare Cone. Trid. scss. vi. 7.) Confirmation the sacrament of growth. 417 person receives the bodily life, there is the movement of growth (augmenti), whereby a person is brought to perfect age. In like manner, therefore, the man receives the spiritual life by Baptism, which is tLe spiritual regeneration ; but in Confirmation the man receives, so to speak, a kind of perfect age of the spiritual life." 1 To support this conclusion "Melchiades" is intro- duced, though assuredly " Melchiades " did not mean by his augmentum the growth of the soul, but an addition to a former grace. So again, in the next " article," Aquinas repeats that " in this sacrament is given the fulness of the Holy Ghost for spiritual strength, which belongs to perfect age." And a little later : "It has already been said that as Baptism is a kind of regeneration into the Christian life, so also Con- firmation is a kind of spiritual growth, advancing the man into perfect spiritual age. Now it is manifest from the analogy of the bodily life that the action of a human being newly born is one thing, and the action which belongs to him on arriving at perfect age is another. And therefore by the sacrament of Confirmation is given to the man the spiritual power to do certain sacred actions over and above those which he was empowered to do in Baptism. For in Baptism the man receives power to do those things which pertain to his own salvation, as living a life of his own ; but in Confirmation the man receives power to do those things which pertain to the spiritual 1 I.e. quaest. Ixxii. art. 1. 2 E 41 8 The Tridentine Catechism. combat against the foes of the faith ; as appears from the example of the Apostles, who before they received the fulness of the Holy Ghost were in the upper chamber, continuing in prayer, but afterwards went forth and were not afraid publicly to confess their belief, even before the enemies of the Christian faith." 1 So writes Aquinas, mingling the worse and the better. The Tridentine divines, not extracting the better from the worse, failed to make the cause which they had undertaken seem more reasonable to its impugners, when they affirmed that " the difference which there is in the natural life between generation and growth (incremento) is the same as that between Baptism, which has the effect of regenerating, and Confirmation, by virtue of which the faithful develope (augescunt), and attain perfect strength of soul. Besides, inasmuch as a new and distinct kind of sacrament ought to be appointed when the soul incurs a new difficulty, it can easily be seen that, as we need the grace of Baptism for the formation of the mind by faith, so it is exceedingly profitable that souls should be confirmed by another grace, in order that they may not be deterred from the confession of the true faith by any danger or dread of pains or penalties or death." a Although these doctors retain side by side with such sentences much of the orthodox language of earlier days, by which the feeblenesses of their own can be 1 I.e. art. 5 ; compare also art. 8, 10. 1 Cat. Trid. de Soar. Confirm 4. Compare 16. Modern Roman teaching. 419 corrected, yet it is plain that a vast change of feeling has taken place between their days and the days when Baptism and Confirmation were at once more closely associated and more clearly distinguished from each other. And the same process has continued in the Roman Communion, since the time of Trent. Although the language of the Pontificate, in the ad- ministration of Confirmation, is still the language of Sirice and Ambrose, and occasionally finds a clear and manly echo in the utterances of teachers in communion with Rome, yet Confirmation on the whole has come to hold but a small and diminishing place in the general system of professional doctrine. Growth, and the force and courage of full age, are the chief topics insisted upon in this connexion. 1 - 1 The book which is most relied upon and most recommended at the present time by the leading section of the Roman Communion Hurter's Tlieologiae Dogmaticae Compendium devotes but four page s and six lines to the subject of Confirmation, as against a hundred and nineteen pages upon the Eucharist and ninety-three upon Penance. These four pages are taken up with technical discussions concerning the claim of Confirmation to be called a sacrament, and concerning the minister and the matter of it. Although in the course of these discussions there are incidental signs of a warmer and more primitive faith behind, the only actual statement of the benefit of Confirmation lies in the definition, said to be the usual one Definiri solet confir- maiio sacramentum N.L., quo baptizatis gratia sanctificans augetur et additur robur sancti Spiritus turn ad firmiter credendum, turn ad fidem ipsam etrenue profitendam. There is no examination of the directly dogmatic question, What ia it that we may hope to receive in Confir- mation ? It may be added that there is a similar poverty in Hurter's treatment of Holy Baptism. Hurter only expressly speaks of its proper effect as "regeneration, the beginning of the (habitual) super- natural life " ; this regeneration is not further explained ; nothing is directly said even of the remission of sins in it ; and though the author does not in so many words assert that the gift, or any gift, of the Holy Ghost is given in Baptism, he quotes S. Peter's words in Acts 420 Defects of the Roman theory that It does not require great acumen, however, to point out that those analogies of nature, to which S. Thomas appeals, by no means serve to enforce this modern view of the relationship between the two baptismal sacraments. Growth, in the natural world, is not the result of anything new and adventitious, except what comes in the way of support. The life begun in birth naturally asserts itself in growth, if only it be sus- tained with proper food. No third movement, dis- tinct from generation on the one hand, and from nutrition on the other, needs to be imparted at a given moment in order to produce growth. And certainly there is no movement known, by which the immature life can be made to pass forthwith into maturity, from the weakness of infancy into the strength of accomplished manhood. Such a passage is the slow work of time. The Roman view of Confirmation as a sacrament of growth does not suit the symbolism of a sacrament given once and once for all. If Confirmation were a sacrament given daily or at frequent intervals, beginning with the Baptism of the infant, and ceasing when the infant might be said to have attained its full spiritual stature, then Confirmation might be considered the sacrament of growth, but not Confirmation as we understand it, administered without repetition, and imprinting upon the soul a "character" which can never be effaced. The Holy Eucharist is the sacra- ii. 38 as applying to that sacrament without referring to Confirmation. Theological manuals ought not to be so thin and meagre upon matteri of spiritual well-being as Una. Confirmation confers spiritual maturity. 421 ment which answers to the nutriment by which the spiritual life is sustained and developed, as Holy Baptism is that which first initiates the life ; and there seems to be no room in the analogy for another sacra- ment which is to have the effect of imparting growth, least of all for one imparting a sudden growth from a state of imperfection into one of perfection. And indeed this theory, framed to support the practice of infant Baptism followed by adult Confir- mation, ignores the conditions in which the two sacraments were all but universally administered in ancient days, and still are administered throughout a very great part of Christendom. When men or infants were, and are, confirmed immediately after Baptism, and this may be said to be the normal method of administration, there is no period of spiritual infancy, to be crowned (as the theory de- mand?) with a transition to maturity; the maturity comes simultaneously with birth. The foes, which according to S. Thomas await the growing up of the spiritual life, and need to be conquered by means of a new sacrament, beset the man who is grown up in the natural sense, even though in the spiritual sense he may be yet an infant and kept waiting for the perfecting sacrament ; they do not yet assail, as after- wards they will assail, the young child who has re- ceived Confirmation on the same day as his Baptism. The whole treatment of the subject by later Roman hands is an instance of the way in which the figura- tive, sometimes half -playful nomenclature of the early Church has been stiffened into cumbrous dogma. 422 Doctrine of the Greek Church In this respect, as in so many others, the Greek Church, though greatly influenced by Western teach- ing, has been more faithful to primitive tradition, and sets forth a richer gospel of the sacraments. The Russian bishop, Macarius, cannot, indeed, shake oft the conception of growth which has trammelled Latin divines in treating of the subject ; but it will be felt that he gives an entirely different turn to the con- ception, when he speaks of Confirmation as a sacra- ment which will enable the baptized infant to grow up gradually into spiritual maturity, instead of con- sidering it, as the Latins do, as an act of transition by which the child, now advanced beyond childhood, passes into maturity at a bound. "By Baptism," he says, "we are born to the spiritual life, and, pure from all sin, justified, sancti- fied, we enter into the kingdom of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. But just as, in the natural life, the man, but newly come into the world, has need of air, of light, of forces and succours, to support his existence, to strengthen and develope himself by degrees, so also in the spiritual life, as soon as he is born from above, he cannot do without the forces and grace of the Holy Spirit : they are his spiritual air and light ; he has need of them not only to maintain his new life, but also to confirm and develope himself in it more and more. Whosoever, therefore, has been regene- rated in Baptism, is likewise granted that same ' divine power pertaining unto life and godliness ' (2 Pet. i. 3) by another sacrament, the Unction of the Chrism. Accordingly the Orthodox Church retains her ancient as represented by Bishop Macarius. 423 custom of administering this latter sacrament imme- diately after and even in conjunction with the former." " The Christian," he adds, " receives from the Divine grace the forces necessary to strengthen himself and to grow in the spiritual life." l The whole section of his work in which this acute and learned theologian sets forth the Oriental doc- trine of Confirmation is full of interest and spiritual beauty, although there are occasional statements in which it is not possible to follow him. It presents a marked contrast to the jejune technicalities of some Western dogmatic works upon the subject. 2 Macarius begins with recalling the Lord's great invitation to all the thirsty to come and drink of that Water proceeding from Himself, which should in turn proceed from them to others (S. John vii. 37-39). " It is evident," he says, " that we are here concerned with those gifts of the Holy Ghost which are offered and consequently are generally necessary to all those who believe in Jesus Christ, and not with those extra- ordinary gifts which are only communicated to cer- tain ones among them for certain specific purposes; although there is here no indication of the visible means by which these indispensable gifts of the Holy Ghost are to be bestowed upon all believers." He then proceeds to point out how, as a fact, when our Lord was glorified, the Apostles actually bestowed the Holy Spirit, by the Laying on of Hands. The narra- 1 Theologie Dogmatique Orthodoxe vol. iii. p. 410. * It occupies twenty-six pages, as compared with seventy on the Holy Eucharist, and forty-eight on Penance. 424 Macarius on Baptism and Confirmation. tive of the Confirmation at Samaria, he says, makes it plain, among other things, that " the Apostles com- municated the Holy Ghost to the believers, not by Baptism (in which the latter are born again or created anew by the Spirit for the moment only, 1 and do not receive Him in themselves for ever), but by the Impo- sition of Hands upon those who had already received Baptism." "The principal invisible effect of the sacrament of Unction," says Macarius, "is to impart to the faithful the Holy Ghost. In Baptism we are only purified and regenerated by the virtue of the Holy Spirit, but we are not yet fit to receive that Spirit in ourselves and to become His temples. By the Unction, He is imparted to us with all the gifts of His grace, which are indispensable for the spiritual life . . . The gifts of the Holy Ghost imparted to believers by the sacrament of Unction being seven in number (Is. xi. 2, 3), ... and three of them serving chiefly to enlighten the understanding, and the other four to inform and fortify the will in that which is good, it is said particularly (1) that the sacrament of Unction communicates to us the grace of the Spirit which enlightens us and makes us intelligent in the truths of faith ... (2) that it communicates to us the grace of the Spirit which fortifies us and makes us grow in godliness." He adds that occasionally the Apostles bestowed 1 By this strange expression he seems to mean that the visitation of the Spirit at regeneration is but a quickening touch, by which the new life is set up, not the beginning of a permanent indwelling. Doctrine of the Orthodox Confession. 425 also in this sacrament extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, but that these were "extraordinary effects of the sacrament, to meet the needs of the primitive Church, not the normal effects, inherent in the very nature of the sacrament." Even in those days not all received the extraordinary gifts; whereas Confirmation " was regarded as indispensable for all those who had received Baptism, in order that 'they might be able to receive the Holy Ghost." * This doctrine of the Eastern Church agrees well with that which we may gather to be the authori- tative teaching of the reformed Church of England. No formal definition of what we are to expect in Confirmation is set before us in our Catechism or Articles; but we may bless the providence of God which, in days when Confirmation was being 1 The official doctrine (so far as it can be said that there is any such) of the Greek Church thus defines the benefits of Confirmation : " These are the fruits of this mystery. First, that as by Baptism we are regenerated, so by the holy Unction we are made partakers of the Holy Ghost, being confirmed in the faith of the Lord, and grow in Divine grace, according to the saying of the Apostle, ' He saved us according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.' Secondly, that by the power of the Holy Ghost we are made so firm and strong that our ghostly enemy can in no wise injure our souls " (a.irb rb nvffrfiptov rovro yevovvrai ol Kapirol TOVTOI' trpSyrov Siarl /ca0o>? fj.k rb 0dirriTes els T))I/ iriaTiv TOV Kvpiov, Kal auai/oyU6c els r^v 6fiav x^P tv Kara rbv airJtrroAov . . . StvTfpov Sia-rl /ie r^v 5wa.fj.iv rov ayiov wevft,aros ovrus ftpsffQev fiffiaiot /col ffrepeol Sirov Sev i]ft.iropi va, /3\d\j/r] Ka.Q6\ov 6 vorjrbs exBpbs T^V ^vx'fiv M a *)- Confess. Orthod. part i. quaest. cv. (Kimmel Monu- menta Fidei Eccl. Orientalis p. 177). This confession was drawn up by Peter Mogilas, Metropolitan of Kiew, and was accepted by all the Eastern Patriarchs in the vear 1643. 426 The Anglican Articles and Confirmation. treated by powerful reformers abroad as no more than the voluntary ratification of a covenant made in infancy, and when many even in England were learning to employ similar language, retained for us the fulness of the primitive Prayer before the Laying on of Hands, and saved us from any expression else- where that would have been at all out of harmony with that prayer. 1 1 The expression in Article XXV., "Confirmation, Penance, etc., are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures," has been differently interpreted. Some suppose that Confirmation (as is perhaps the case with Orders) is classed as a " state of life allowed (i.e. approved) in the Scriptures : " others suppose that the "partly . . . partly" is not intended to be an exhaustive division of the " five commonly called Sacraments." My own belief is that " Confirmation," which heads the list of the five, is (together with the closely connected " extreme Unction ") intended to be described by the other category, as having " grown of the corrupt following of the Apostles." " Confirmation " in the official language of the time meant distinctly the rite of Unction, after a certain form, with a chrism elaborately compounded. Thus in the bull of Eugenius IV. (Council of Florence A. D. 1439) for the guidance of the Armenians who accepted the yoke of Rome, a bull which, in spite of the dubious position of Eugenius at the time of writing it, ranks with the letter of the spurious Melchiades in its powerful influence upon the history of the doctrine of this sacrament, after the description of the matter, "a chrism compounded of oil, which signifies the clearness of the conscience, and of balsam, which signifies the odour of a good report, blessed by the bishop," and after the action of the Apostles at Samaria has been recited in proof of the position that only bishops can confirm, we next read, " Jn the stead of that Laying on of the H and Confirmation is now given in the Church " (loco autem illiug manus impositionis datur in ecclesia confirmatio). So, at an earlier period, Alexander of Hales (p. iv. q. xxiv. m. 1) spoke of the Apostles as " confirming without a sacrament," and said that the sacrament was instituted at the instance of the Holy Ghost in " the Council of Meaax" as far as form and matter were concerned. That no such Council was ever held does not concern us. Before either Eugenius or Alexander, Alanus de Insulis, known as the " Universal Doctor," What is prayed for in Baptism. 427 In the first place we have been preserved from any expression which would have robbed Confirmation of its glory by attributing to the initial part of Baptism that which Holy Scripture and the Fathers attribute to the second. No word in the baptismal offices can be taken to imply that the Holy Ghost is " given " in that part of the sacrament. One phrase, which appears to approach to such a statement, is found on examination to guard most carefully against the error of the later Roman theology, and by its explicit terms is a witness for the older- doctrine. " Give Thy Ho]y Spirit to this infant," so the Church prays immediately before the christening of the child, but adds at once, " that he may be born again, and be made an heir of everlasting salvation." The nature and extent of the gift to be expected at the font is defined and restricted. It is such a gift or impar- tition as regenerates, not that which takes up its abode in the regenerate. By other expressions in the baptismal offices we are taught to expect that the baptized will be "born anew of Water and of the wrote as follows : " That virtue which was given by the Apostlea by means of the Laying on of Hands, is given to the faithful by means of Confirmation . . . Therefore since the heretics themselves esteem the Laying on of Hands to be a great sacrament, the place of which is now taken by this sacrament of Confirmation (cuius uicem retinet hoc sacramentum confirmatiunis), they do wrong to detract from this sacrament" (Contr. Haeret. lib. i. cap. 66). It was against Confirma- tion in this sense, and only this, that the scurrilities of men like Becon and Calfhill were directed. " Confirmation," in the sense of a substitute for the apostolic rite, was discarded by the Holy English Church, in returning to a more primitive practice. That nothing in the least derogatory to the dignity of " Confirmation " (in the truer sense) was intended, ia plain from the office for Confirmation itself. 428 What is not prayed for in Baptism. Holy Ghost," "baptized with Water and the Holy Ghost, 1 " "washed and sanctified with the Holy Ghost," "receive the fulness of God's grace;" but never that he will receive that special "promise" of the Holy Ghost for which S. Peter on the day of Pentecost said that repentance and Baptism would qualify his hearers, or that " abundant outpouring " of which S. Paul spoke to Titus. These promises and outpourings are reserved for the moment when those whom God has already " vouchsafed to regene- rate by Water and the Holy Ghost," come to the bishop to be, through his prayer and the Laying on 1 It is indeed questionable whether this particular phrase is a quite satisfactory one to use in relation to the initial act of regeneration. The exact words are not found in Holy Scripture at all, though they no doubt put together very truly the thoughts which underlie more than one Scriptural text. To be " baptized with (lv) Holy Ghost " occurs (always in contrast with John's baptism) in S. Mark i. 8, S. John i. 33, Acts i. 5 and xi. 16 ; to be " baptized with (iv) Holy Ghost and fire " occurs in S. Luke iii. 16 and (probably) S. Matt. iii. 11. It will, I believe, be felt that these passages, when read in the con- nexion in which they are placed by Actsi. 5 and xi. 16, refer rather to the Pentecostal outpouring than to the first regenerating movement of the Spirit, and that therefore writers like the author of the De Rebap- tismate (see p. 125 foil.) are correct who understand this " Baptism with Holy Ghost (and fire) " to be conveyed to us in Confirmation, not in Baptism proper. But the prefixing of the words " with water," which do not come in Scripture in this context, modify the force of the subsequent " and the Holy Ghost " ; and no one could deny that the expression " to be baptized with water and the Holy Ghost," by itself, without regard to the meaning of the Scripture passages, would very fitly describe the action through which we are first brought by the Spirit of God into the new life of forgiveness and participation in the Divine nature. The composers of our office may have made a mistake in exegesis, if they understood the " baptism with the Holy Ghost " to refer to what we commonly call Baptism ; but there is no proof that they made a mistake of doctrine, as they would have done if they had meant that in Baptism we receive that which in the Bible is called the gift of the Holy Ghost Fulness of our Confirmation Prayer. 429 of his hands, "strengthened" with the sevenfold Spirit. x And we have lost nothing of the ancient faith in Confirmation itself. It is true that there are, in the office for Confirmation, effects and traces of the tendency of mediaeval theology to minimise that sacrament. The point and purpose of the sacrament is not so vividly expressed in the prayer which (in my belief) constitutes our "form" of Confirmation, as in the primitive invocation upon which it is based. " Strengthen them, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily increase in them Thy manifold gifts of grace," is perhaps a less clear echo of Holy Scripture and the ancient Fathers than the Gelasian, " Send upon them Thy Holy Ghost the Comforter, and give them the Spirit of wisdom and understanding," 1 It is instructive to observe the prayer that the Holy Ghost may be given after Baptism, in the public reception of one privately baptized, and in the office for the Baptism of those of Riper Years. " Give Thy Holy Spirit to this infant (these persons) that he, being born again, (being now born again) and being made an heir of everlasting salvation . . . may continue Thy servant and attain Thy promises." This shews that the baptized person is not yet sxipposed to have received the Holy Spirit in that sense in which the reception imprints a " character." I am ready to acknowledge that the exhortation in the office for Baptism of those of Riper Years apparently implies that the reception of the Holy Ghost, promised by S. Peter, is granted in Baptism itself; this is indicated not only by the quotation of his words, but also by the charge to believe that God (or Christ) " will grant them the re- mission of their sins, and bestow upon them the Holy Ghost." But even if this be so, the nature and extent of the gift is defined, as in the Baptism of Infants, by the following prayer. It is, therefore, an exegetical mistake again, not a doctrinal one. The compilers perhaps mistook what S. Peter meant and thought that he spoke of that gift hy which we are born again ; they did not suppose that the gift in the full apostolic sense of the word was to be given then and there. 430 Our Confirmation Prayer. or the present Roman, "Send forth upon them Thy holy sevenfold Spirit the Comforter from heaven." By bringing at once into sight the beneficial con- sequences of the gift the strength and continuous progress to come our office seems in some degree to distract the eye from the adorable gift itself, and makes it possible for the prayer to be used by men who do not believe that a new relation is then beginning between the soul and the promised Com- forter. Such a softening and accommodation on the part of the Church is noticeable elsewhere also; as when, at the administration of the Blessed Eucharist, the priest no longer says simply, " The Body of the Lord," awakening faith to discern what it receives, but, " The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life," drawing attention to the benefits to be expected from reception. But in either case, most surely the benefits to be expected imply the reality of the gift which brings them ; and the words, coupled with the sacramental act, are a distinct assertion that it is here and now and by this means that the gift is conveyed. "Strengthen them with the Holy Ghost the Comforter" might be prayed at any time over Christians, especially after their Confirmation; still more the prayer, " Daily increase in them Thy manifold gifts of grace ; " but it cannot be taken to imply that the persons prayed for are already possessed of that Holy Spirit and only need to be more powerfully affected by the possession. This might, perhaps, be understood to be the case, if the expressions stood by Our Confirmation Prayer. 431 themselves in the course of some daily office; it is impossible when they occur in connexion with the solemn rite derived from apostolic practice, and when the foregoing words set in contrast what has already been received with what is still expected : " Almighty and everlasting God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these Thy servants by Water and the Holy Ghost, and hast given unto them forgiveness of all their sins ; strengthen them, we beseech Thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter." It is a new gift, not received before, of which the effect will be to strengthen the faithful recipients, and to begin a life of new relationship between the Holy Spirit and them, so that each successive day in the future may bring out new developments of the Holy Spirit's power, in ever advancing ratio. 1 It remains to endeavour reverently to discover what is the spiritual significance and practical value of the new relationship set up between the believer and the Holy Spirit in Baptism by means of that Laying on of Hands which is the completion of the sacrament. 1 It is surely a mistake to do what is now done in some English dioceses, to interpose the Veni Creator Spiritus, or other hymn, sometimes I believe that even an address is interposed, between this prayer and the Imposition of Hands. The prayer answers to that sacramental prayer by which the Apostles at Samaria drew down the gift upon the baptized (Acts viii. 15) ; and the Imposition of Hands is the application to each believer of the gift which has thus been drawn down; it ought therefore, surely, to follow without a break. The words which actually accompany the Imposition of Hands " Defend, O Lord," etc. are only words of benediction in the moment of delivery ; they may be generalised and said once over many persons, or might be omitted altogether, without vitiating the sacrament. The prayer for the sevenfold Spirit ought to be said by the bishop with his face towards the candidates, not towards the altar. 432 Examination of S. John xiv. 17. The distinction between the work of the Holy Spirit upon the soul before and after the Laying on of Hands appears to be that which is touched upon by our Lord, when He says to His Apostles, according to the usually received text, " The world cannot receive [the Spirit of truth], because it beholdeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; ye know Him, because He abideth with you, and He shall be in you " (S. John xiv. 17). As the words stand, they contain a promise, which was fulfilled at Pentecost. The Holy Ghost which was already " with " the Apostles, then came to be " in " them. There is, however, a doubt about the text. Westcott and Hort, though with hesitation, adopt the reading, " and is in you." Apart from the purely critical grounds on which their verdict is based, the present tense appears to be the most natural, inasmuch as our Lord is giving a reason for the assertion that the Apostles already " know " the Spirit, and therefore will be able to receive Him when He comes. It is no reason, to say, "Ye know Him, because ... He shall be in you." If the future be the correct text, then we must, with Godet, punctuate otherwise and read, "Ye know Him, because He dwelleth with you; and (ye shall know Him better, for) He shall be in you." But in view of the doubt- fulness of the reading we cannot with certainty say that the passage contrasts the then present relationship between the disciples and the Spirit, with that which was afterwards to be established. In a sense the Spirit was already " in " them, as He had been " in " the prophets of the Old Testament (1 Pet. i. 11), and "Abiding with" and "being in" 433 " within " and " amidst " the people of Israel (Is. Ixiii. 11, T3Tj??; Hagg. ii. 5, Dppin?). But none the less, the words of Christ are no rhetorical pleonasm. They represent two distinct relationships between the Spirit and the disciples, both of which were already partially bestowed upon them, and both of which were after- wards to be transfigured, and intensified, and con- summated. To "abide with" them was one thing; to " be in " them was another. As Dr. Godet says, in his comment upon the passage, "The confusion between two states so different from each other has entailed consequences beyond calculation." I cannot think that either Dr. Godet, or Dr. Wesfc cott, in their commentaries on the passage, express all that is meant by the words " abideth with you," when they point to the fact that the disciples were in enjoyment of the companionship of Christ, in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt and through whom He dealt with them. I think that even the abiding of the Holy Spirit with the disciples involved direct action of His upon them. No doubt the most marked and perceptible way in which He was acting upon them was through the teaching and example of Christ ; but I cannot think that the words "He abideth with you" have reference only to this local nearness of theirs to On3 in whom He dwelt. They were not only in the neighbourhood of grace. The abiding with them implies an immediate pressure, steadily and continuously brought to bear upon mind and heart and conscience and will, by which the Holy Spirit was winning them more and more to believe in 2 F 434 What the Spirifs indwelling means. the Christ whose life they witnessed and to whose words they listened. The Holy Ghost, even then, was not, to them, an occasional visitant, leaving them at times to their own unaided efforts and withdrawing from His interest in them. He was ever at the side of each of them ; ever at hand to them also as a body of men ; and they had felt that it was so, even if they could not yet have put their experience into words. When He should come, they would be able to recognise His presence and influence in those earlier experiences of theirs. But this abiding with them was not all that they even then enjoyed according to the reading which I accept; still less was it all that they were to enjoy at a later time. The Holy Ghost " was in " them. It was, perhaps, because of His being in them that they were able to work the miracles which they wrought when they were sent forth two and two, and were carried out of themselves into confessions like that of S. Peter. He " was in " them ; and after Pentecost He would " be in " them in a sense which would reduce their present foretastes of His indwelling into comparative insignificance. What the indwelling of the Holy Spirit actually is, what it means to the Divine Inmate Himself, is beyond our power to conceive. We only know, from what He reveals to us, that the connesrion is so close that His own person is deeply affected by it. The sins and the successes of those in whom He dwells mean more to Him than those of others. Thus we feel the force of the apostolic appeals; "Do ye not know that your body is a temple of that Holy Ghost Use of word 11 in " with reference to persons. 435 which is in you, which ye possess from God ? glorify God then in your body" (1 Cor. vi. 19); "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God in whom ye were sealed unto a day of redemption " (Eph. iv. 29, 30) ; " Who- soever chooseth to be a friend of the world, is made an enemy of God ; or do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, ' Even unto envy the Spirit which He made to dwell in us longeth ' " (S. James iv. 5) ? Looking at the matter from the human point of view, it is more easy to feel than to explain what is meant by speaking of that which takes place, or subsists, " in " a personal being. Sometimes the material body may be thought of as the outer circle inside of which it takes place : " his life is in him," " the spirit of a man which is in him." But the New Testament makes use of the expression in a great variety of ways. Thus we read very frequently of that which a man says, or reasons, or doubts, or wonders, or believes, or judges, or perceives, " within " himself, or "in his heart." Movements of this in- ternal world are expressed in such phrases as those which tell us that S. Paul's spirit was "provoked in him" at the sight of the idolatries of Athens (Acts xvii. 16), and that Jesus groaned, or whatever may be the meaning of the mysterious word, " within Himself " (John xi. 38) on the way to the grave of Lazarus, and that we too have to groan " within ourselves " (Rom. viii. 23). A whole inner life of intelligence and feel- ing, and conscience and will, comes before us, when we think of phrases like the following: " The light that is 436 The word " in " as used of persons. in thee " (Luke xi. 35) ; " ye have not life in yourselves " (John vi. 53) ; " He knew what was in man " (John ii. 25) ; " in whom is no guile " (John i. 48) ; " there is no unrighteousness in Him " (John vii. 18) ; " he hath nothing in Me " (John xiv. 30) ; " the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois" (2 Tim. i. 5); "that My joy may abide in you" (John xv. 11); or," the truth is not in him " (1 John ii. 4) ; " this knowledge is not in all men " (1 Cor. viii. 7); "the ignorance that is in them " (Eph. iv. 18); " how abideth the love of God in him " (1 John iii. 17)? So we read of that which, because it resides in a man, comes " out " of him ; " the things which proceed forth out of the man are those which defile the man ; for from within, out of the man's heart, proceed forth evil thoughts" (Mark vii. 15, 21). These words tell us about the contents of the man; they do not exactly describe component parts of him, but rather the kind of things which are admitted within the sphere of his being. Thus the word of God, coming from without, is said to find an entrance and a home within a man. Lydia's heart was " opened " by the Lord, to give heed to the things which were spoken by Paul (Acts xvi. 14). S. Paul exhorts us to let " the word of Christ dwell richly in " us (Col. iii. 16) ; our Lord accuses the Jews that His word " maketh no way in " them (John viii. 37), and that they have not God's word " abiding in" them (John v. 38). S. Paul thanks God that His word " worketh in " those that believe at Thessa- lonica (1 Thess. ii. 13). But it is not only thoughts Divine Interposition in mans inner world. 437 and words which enter thus from without into men and dwell and work there. Other influences, less directly appealing to the intellect, are spoken of as fastening upon men, and centering in them, and using them as agents and mouthpieces. " He is risen from the dead himself ; and for this reason the miraculous powers work in him " (at ^vva/mig tvepyovaiv tv avrw Matt. xiv. 2). " Sin, taking occasion by the com- mandment, wrought in me all manner of concupis- cence " (Rom. vii. 8). " It is no longer I that work it, but sin that dwelleth in me" (Rom. vii. 17, 20). " Death worketh in us, but life in you" (2 Cor. iv. 12). And so, almost passing from a personification to the action of a personal agent, we have such expressions as these : " the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience " (Eph. ii. 2) ; " according to the power that worketh in us " (Eph. iii. 20) ; " according to His working, which worketh in me mightily" (Coi i. 29). These last words conduct us to those passages which speak of the direct interposition of other beings, good and bad, in the internal affairs of the human agent. Such language is used of all the persons of the Blessed Trinity. "It is God that worketh all things in all of them " (1 Cor. xii. 6) ; "it is God that worketh in you both the willing and the working " (Phil. ii. 13). " Ye seek a proof of the Christ that speaketh in me " (2 Cor. xiii. 3). " It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you" (Matt. x. 20). From this interposition in a man's internal affairs 438 Entrance of evil spirits into man. it is an easy step to a positive entrance and in- habitation. Sometimes this language is used of evil spirits. Not every influence of an evil spirit, not the first nor the second injection of a bad thought or desire, not the haunting design and ever-present solicitation, not even the successful formation of a sinful habit or the establishment of a sinful principle of action, constitutes that dreadful connexion between devil and man which is commonly described under the term of possession. Possession is the climax of a long series of preparatory operations. A whole treasury of evil influences has been expended upon the disintegration of the man before he lies open to this final irruption and invasion. When Judas has allowed himself to become sufficiently tractable, then, " after the sop " the eye of S. John could discern the very moment " Satan entered into him " (John xiii. 27). 1 Such an "entrance" established a new and definite connexion. " They enter in and dwell there " (S. Matt, xii. 45). The man can be described as " the man in whom the evil spirit was" (Acts xix. 16). In the fearfully graphic language of our Lord, the evil spirit says, " I will return into my house " (S. Matt. xii. 44). And as the forming of this connexion takes place at a definite moment, so, if severed again at all, it is severed again at a definite moment, when the stronger power comes to the rescue. "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, it is I that command thee, come forth out of him, and never enter into him again " (Mark ix. 25). It is not the gradual advance and the 1 The language of S. Luke xxii. 3 is more general. Reciprocal relation of devils and man. 439 gradual receding of an uniform influence ; there is a distinct act of occupation and a distinct act of ex- pulsion, the former the result of a previous siege, the latter, it may be, followed by many efforts to regain, perhaps effectual efforts ; but the possession itself is something quite different from the influence before and after. The man in whom the evil spirit dwells is said to "have," to possess, an evil spirit. The phrase is not found in the New Testament in the other direction : we do not read of the evil spirit "possessing," or having, the man, 1 though such an expression is justi- fied by the facts ; but men are very frequently spoken of in the four Gospels and the Acts as " having " evil spirits. "He hath Beelzebul" (Mark iii. 22); "the man who had had the Legion" (Mark v. 15) ; "a man that had a dumb spirit" (Mark ix. 17); "a man having a spirit of an unclean demon " (Luke iv. 33) ; " that had demons a long time " (Luke viii. 27) ; " a woman having a spirit of infirmity " (Luke xiii. 11) ; "a maidservant having a Python spirit" (Acts xvi. 16). To "have" such a spirit may perhaps be an expression of the same kind as to " have " a fever or a palsy, for assuredly the man does not possess the evil spirit in the sense of governing it ; but it is the correlative phrase to those which speak of the evil spirits as dwelling in the man. And so we read also of men being " in " the evil spirit. " There was there in their synagogue a man in an unclean spirit" 1 The expression in the English version, " possessed of devils," is a paraphrase of a single Greek word, meaning " demoned." 440 " Being in " and " having " the Holy Spirit. (Mark i. 23) ; " there met Him out of the tombs a man in an unclean spirit " (Mark v. 2). This again may be borrowed from the natural language in which we speak of a person " in " a disease ; " a woman in an issue of blood" (Mark v. 25), or the like; but fora man to be " in an unclean spirit " is a description of the same state as that of an unclean spirit " being in " a man. The indwelling is, in a manner, reciprocal. The same language is used to compare light with darkness and life with death of the relation of man to God. Men are said not only to speak and act, but also to " be in " the Spirit ; not only " praying in the Holy Ghost " (Jude 20) ; " no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but in the Holy Ghost " (1 Cor. xii. 3); but also, "I found myself in the Spirit on the Lord's day " (Rev. i. 10) ; " ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwelleth in you " (Rom. viii. 9). And as men are said to have " had " evil spirits, so are we said to " have " the Spirit of God. " Now if any have not the Spirit of Christ, that man is not His " (Rom. viii. 9) ; " having not the Spirit" (Jude 19) ; "I think also that I have the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. vii. 40); "having the same Spirit of faith" (2 Cor. iv. 13); "your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost that is in you, which ye have from God " (1 Cor. vi. 19). It is not said of the Holy Ghost, any more than of the evil spirits, that He has, or possesses, us ; but to " have " the Spirit of God involves a kind of mutual possession. It ex- presses a relationship to Him which in some respects resembles the relationship of the demoniac to the un- His "coming" and "falling" upon men. 441 clean spirit which is in him. The possession assuredly does not imply, in this case more than in the other, such a possession as Simon Magus coveted, where the blessed gift might be the tool and stock-in-trade of its possessor, to be employed at will, as a Prospero employs an Ariel; but it answers to that "giving" of the Holy Spirit of which the New Testament is so full ; and it is only applicable to those in whom the Holy Spirit " dwells." This last, most precious word is used far more frequently of the Divine relationship to us than of the hateful connexion with evil spirits with which I am comparing it. As with the evil spirits, so with the Divine; it is not His first action upon the heart which plants His indwelling there. His grace prepares the way beforehand, inclining man to open the door for His entrance. Not every good desire, or thought, or habit, or principle, proves the indwelling of the Spirit. He may " abide with " us a long time, before He comes to " be in " us. It is a third, or a fourth stage of His action towards us, when He thus establishes Himself within. He who first gave us life, gave us His prevenient grace, and then the new life in Christ with its higher kind of grace, before He could take up His abode within us. He takes up His abode within us at a definite point of time, and by a distinct movement. The movement is not actually described in the New Testament by the word " enter- ing into " a man, but this is probably accidental It is generally described as the " coming " of the Holy Ghost "upon" men (Acts xix. 6), or His "falling 442 Ways of describing- the Spirit's indwelling. upon " them (Acts viii. 16) ; or from other points of view the occasion on which He thus comes is that when men are "sealed with" Him (2 Cor. i. 22 ; Eph. i. 13 ; iv. 30), and " anointed " with Him (2 Cor. i. 21 ; comp. Acts iv. 27 ; x. 38 ; Heb. i. 9) ; when they " receive " Him (Acts viii. 15 ; x. 47 ; xix. 2 ; Rom. viii. 15, etc.) ; when He is " given " to them (Luke xi. 13 ; Acts v. 32 ; viii. 18 ; Rom. v. 5, etc.). And the gift is not merely given " to " us. According to S. Paul's language in one significant passage it is given " into " us : " He therefore that despiseth, de- spiseth not man, but God, who also giveth His Holy Spirit into you " (1 Thess. iv. 8). The Holy Ghost, once for all bestowed in the Laying on of Hands, is perpetually being given, as an ever fresh gift, stream- ing forth from the God from whom He proceeds, into the inmost being of the believer, according to the saying of Christ, " The water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water that leapeth up unto eternal life " (S. John iv. 14). There is hardly any need to enumerate the passages which tell us that the Holy Spirit and Christ through the Holy Spirit, and the Father through Christ " dwells in " x the believer, and " is in " 2 him, and " abides in " 3 him, and "rests upon" him, 4 and makes him His temple and 1 Rom. viii. 11; 2 Tim. i. 14 (&>otKTv) ; Jas. iv. 5 (/taTo' vfj.as avcnraveTai. Comp. Luke x. 6 ; Eom. ii. 17. Possession by evil spirits and Divine. 443 His habitation. There, amidst those things which I have described as forming the contents of the man, He takes up His position. When* He has prepared the way for His own entrance by inspiring good thoughts and aims, when He has purified the inward parts of the man by repentance and faith, by forgive- ness and regeneration and recreation, He plants Him- self within, to continue there, not merely as a thought is there, or a virtue, or a principle, but in the fulness of His personal will, and intelligence, and loving- kindness, and holiness, and power. The relation of the evil spirits to the men into whom they enter serves as an illustration of this possession by the Spirit of God, but it is not an adequate illustration at every point. Rupert of Deutz, in an interesting passage, gathers up what had been taught by earlier Christian thinkers on the difference between the mode of the Holy Spirit's indwelling in the soul and that of the evil spirits. He is arguing that the Holy Spirit must be God, because our Lord is said to have been "full" of Him: " Is He not God of whom the Lord Jesus, who fills all things, is Himself full ? Nay, to say nothing for the moment of such a Man as He, to fill any narrower- hearted human being is a thing which none but God can do. Let us say in plainer terms that essentially (substantialiter) to enter the spirit of a man is a thing which God alone can do. Created spirit cannot be infused into created spirit, that is, an angelic spirit into the human spirit, or human spirit into angelic. 444 Rupert on possession by evi.l The one cannot open itself to take in the other, nor can the one enter into possession of the other. Neither of the two has the advantage of the other in subtlety. Both are creatures, both are rational, both immortal. God alone, by nature or essence, is more subtle than either, and can therefore take pos- session of either. . . . The man who is filled with the wicked spirit is not filled with it in the same way as the man who is filled with the Holy Ghost. For the wicked spirit is not essentially infused into the essence of the human spirit ; but creeping in by hidden movements, and being admitted through the orifices of the body, it besets the soul in the soul's own home, and torments it with the scourges of hell, so far as it has received permission to do. Thus a fever, or an over-heating draught, overthrows the soul and destroys the force of reason ; but the actual essence of the soul is not filled with the fever, nor yet with the intoxication which filters through the body. But this Holy Spirit, on the other hand, enters essentially into the essence of the soul, and in an inexplicable manner fills it by enlarging it and enlarges it by filling; essentially He 'dwells in it and walks in it'; and this is the reward and the glory which is laid up for the saints hereafter. For in the present state but very few, and they but for an hour or for a moment, are able to realise that essential touch of His, save that one and only Man of whom it is said in a way that would not hold true of any other, ' Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding in Him (in eo).' This that spirits and by the Divine. 445 we have said is easily verified by the very titles of that Spirit, even by the words, ' The Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of might, the Spirit of knowledge, the Spirit of godliness, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.' Where do you reckon wisdom and understanding to be, but in the soul ? Where do counsel, might, knowledge, godliness, fear of the Lord, dwell, but in the soul and mind ? Therefore only this uncreated Spirit is capable of taking essential possession of the spirit of man or angel." * Whether all the metaphysical arguments here urged are capable of being sustained or not, I do not know. They are not all directly suggested by Holy Scripture, which, as we have seen, uses the very same terms to describe the relation of the evil spirit to the possessed and to describe the relation of the Holy Ghost to the Christian. It is, however, reasonable to suppose that a closer union can be formed between God and His creature than between any creatures among themselves. Other points of unlikeness might be observed between the Divine indwelling and the demoniacal, which Rupert has not mentioned. Among other things, we are given to understand that the demoniacal possession is capable of being renewed after interruption ; but it is otherwise with the in- dwelling of the Spirit of God. Nothing seems more surely revealed to us than that the connexion between the soul and its Divine Inhabitant is one 1 De Trim, et Opp. De Spir. Sanct. lib. i. cap. xxvi. See also Hatching* Person and Work of the Holy Ghost p. 137 foil 446 Possession by evil spirits and which is formed for eternity, never to be interrupted ; and that if in any case that connexion is dissolved, it is dissolved for ever. Those who fall away after receiving the Holy Ghost leave to the Church no hope of renewing them again. There is no remedy for the sin against the Holy Ghost. Another point of unlikeness between the good possession and the evil lies in this : The evil possession, so far as its phenomena are known to us, appears to be always actively effectual, while the Holy Spirit's indwelling is liable to be but little felt, as Rupert himself observes, for long periods together, even by those in whom it more or less succeeds. The evil spirit, though there may be occasional stirrings of re- bellious regret, "keeps its unhappy victim continu- ally under control. When our Lord says that so long as "the strong man armed keepeth his own palace, his goods are in peace " (S. Luke xi. 21), He probably means that the possessed man is untroubled by qualms of conscience about his wicked ways ; He does not mean that the possessed man is able to live a life of undisturbed neutrality, sometimes doing what is good and right, while the general tone of his conduct is quietly bad. Though there are lulls and accesses x of the malignant energy, yet the thraldom seems to be continuous. If the possessed is not always doing deeds of outrageous wickedness upon others or upon himself, yet he remains always deaf and dumb, or 1 S. Luke ix. 39. Edereheiin Jesus the Mesriah vol. i. 480 foil, takes a different view of the relationship, and insists strongly that the de- moniacal " possession " was not permanent. by the Divine Spirit compared. 447 bowed together and unable to lift himself up, or whatever the specific injury may be which his tormentor is able to inflict upon him. The man only escapes into true peace and right action by the ex- cussion of the demon from within him. But the in- dwelling of the Holy Spirit leaves a greater freedom to the human personality which is its shrine ; and at the same time the Holy Spirit is more tenacious of His hold. Not every sin that the Christian falls into, drives out the indwelling Spirit. He does not compel the man in whom He is, to be uniformly con- scious of His sway. There are times when the man who has received the Holy Ghost may fall into sin, even into a course of sin, utterly contrary to the mind and will of the indwelling Spirit, and yet may not be deprived of that long-suffering and merciful presence. To quote once more the words of S. Basil, the Holy Spirit " seems in a way to be present with those who have once been sealed, awaiting their conversion and subsequent salvation." l Assuredly the language of Origen is not supported by the lan- guage of Scripture, when he teaches though with his characteristic modesty and absence of dogmatism that the presence of the Holy Spirit in us is an intermittent presence, and that not only is He to be thought of as withdrawn during the commission of acts of sin, but as withdrawn also from those acts which it is lawful to perform but which belong to the less exalted part of our nature. 2 Origen himself 1 See above, p. 357. 1 Horn, in Num. vi. 288 B : ego autem licet non usquequaque pro- 448 The Divine indwelling not intermittent. supplies the corrective when he draws attention at other times to the transcendent heinousness of a Christian's sin, inasmuch as it is an outrage to the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, when (without, per- haps, discriminating sufficiently between the Old Dispensation and the New) he reminds us that David, who had formerly possessed the Spirit of God, did not forfeit the possession by his sin against Urias, though he was afraid that he might forfeit it, and prayed, " Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me," and says, "The man blasphemes by words and by deeds against the Holy Ghost and His presence, who sins with the Holy Ghost present in his heart." * Indeed the words of abiding and indwelling and being in us are misleading, if the relation established is as mutable as Origen's language above quoted would imply. The difficulty is perhaps lessened by observing that there is a twofold indwelling spoken of in Holy Scripture, of which one is objective and the other is subjective. Thus S. Paul prays for the Ephesians (who had long since received the Holy Ghost, when they became believers 2 ) that they "may be strengthened with might through the Spirit of God in a way that affects the inward man, so that Christ may take up His abode through faith in their hearts in love ; " 8 and yet the Apostle cannot have supposed nuntiem, puto tamen quod tint nonnulla etiam communium Jiominum gesta, quae, quamuis peccato careant, non tamen digna uideantur, quilius interesse putemus Spiritum sanctum. 1 In loann. torn, xxviii. 388. 2 Eph. i. 13. Eph. iii. 16, 17. Objective and subjective indwelling. 449 that Christ was not already dwelling in them, when he writes elsewhere, " Know ye not your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed ye are reprobate?" 1 The objective presence of Christ is there in the Christian, whether recognised or not, unless he has altogether and for ever forfeited his Christian position ; but this is a very different thing from that subjective indwelling " through faith," and " in love," which he prays that the Ephesians may be empowered to attain. So, S. Paul urges these same Ephesians to be " filled with the Spirit ; " 2 although to the Romans he says, in words which I have already quoted, " If any have not the Spirit of Christ, that man is not His." 3 The Holy Spirit is indeed per- sonally settled within the man, or, having once been baptized and confirmed, he must have ceased to belong to Christ ; but the man must endeavour to realise what he possesses, so that every faculty may be expanded and charged with new force by the in- spiration which proceeds from that indwelling Spirit. " Now," it has been well said, " our part is to open in humblest faith all the avenues and regions of the soul and of the life, that we may be filled with what we already have." 4 Once more, when S. Paul is rousing Timothy to more courageous strenuousness in the government of the Ephesian Church, he does not bid him to seek some new influx of the Holy Ghost, some second or some hundredth Baptism of the Spirit ; he " reminds " him (for the doctrine is one which 1 2 Cor. xiii. 5. 2 Eph. v. 18 iv mvpon. * Rom. viii. 9. 4 Moule Veiti Creator p. 223. 2 G 450 Confirmation confers the objective indwelling. Timothy well knows) " that thou stir again into living flame the gracious bestowal of God, which is within thee through the imposition of my hands." 1 The gift is there. In spite of much unfaithfulness and neglect, perhaps, it has not been withdrawn. Con- veyed into his inner being at a definite moment, by means (Sm) of the hands which ordained him for S. Paul is here speaking of the charisma or special endowment of Ordination, not of the dorea or gift which is common to all whose Baptism is completed the " Spirit of power and of love and of correction " was still lodged in Timothy; but, like a fire which is suffered to die down for want of fuel or by being smothered, this Spirit was not so useful a possession as it might have been made, and was in danger of perishing out of the soul altogether. 2 In precisely similar manner the Apostle warns the Thessalonians, "Quench not the Spirit." 3 The objective donation of the Spirit to dwell in us is not necessarily followed, though it always ought to be followed, by the sub- jective movement which alone makes it possible for Him to accomplish the full purpose of His coming. It is, then, the objective, personal, indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us which is the virtue of the Laying on of Hands : and inasmuch as the objective indwelling has for its normal consequence the subjective repletion and all the blessings which come from the possession 1 2 Tim. i. 6. 1 The language is similar to that of Gen. xlv. 27; 1 Mace. xiii. 7; but in both these places the " spirit " is the human spirit, and the verb bva. See above, p. 482 note. 486 Life in Christ Jesus. when He infuses into us the life of Christ. For, as known to the Church, He is not simply " the Spirit of Life," but "the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus." Christ " is our life " (Col. iii. 4). It is Christ who says, " I am the ... Life " (S. John xi. 25). But it is the Holy Ghost who makes that life ours. And the life of Christ which He imparts to us in our regeneration, when by His operation we are first made members of Christ, He continually developes in us by His indwell- ing, that " having life," we may " have it abundantly " (S. John x. 10). New forces are ours, " faculties of a future age " (Heb. vi. 5). By virtue of our union with a Second Adam, the Holy Spirit renews, and enlarges, and fills with supernatural energy, all that is good in our inheritance from the first Adam, and adds immeasurably more beyond. Thus we are empowered to do what without such an increase of vital powers was impossible for us, and can cope successfully with difficulties which were too great for us before. The man who cried but now, " O wretched man that I am ! who shall rescue me ? " can answer calmly for himself, or, according to another text, receive answer from the Gospel, "The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus set thee set me free from the law of sin and death." (iii.) A third title completes the view of our spiritual status in the Gospel dispensation. The Holy Spirit who transports us from a position of guilt into one of grace, from a position of feebleness and decay into one of life, transports us also from a position of slavish and superstitious service into one of conscious The Spirit of Adoption. 487 sonship towards God. " Ye did not receive," on the day of your Confirmation, " a spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received a Spirit of Adoption." This is more than the receiving of the adoption itself. It is conceivable only too conceivable that a man may be made the child of God, not merely by being so accounted, but by actual injection of something of the Divine nature, and yet not realise the privilege bestowed upon him, nor act towards God in a way which accords with it. He may refuse obedience altogether, like the Prodigal ; or tie may yield it after the manner of a bond slave. The bond slave (except where some other principle has stepped in to modify his conditions of life) acts under compulsion, from fear of what will happen to him if he disobeys. Grudgingly he performs his minimum of work, and desires as little intercourse as possible with the master to whom it is due. But the " Spirit of Adop- tion," when it really penetrates the soul of the regenerate man, puts him into altogether a different attitude towards God from that of the bond slave. All is now glad, and free, and reverently bold. " We cry," as men who are not afraid of their voices being heard. It is to God Himself that we cry. And, even if He demand from us a service more exhausting than that demanded of any bond servant, we can still address Him in the very language of the Incarnate Son, as He "cried" (Heb. v. 7) in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the sweat of blood upon His fore- head, " Abba, Father " (S. Mark xiv. 36). This brings us to the central group of titles, in 488 The Spirit of Truth. which is brought out the illuminating power of the Spirit. The Spirit is given to us, as S. Paul expressly teaches, for the purpose of throwing light upon all the other bounties which we enjoy. " We did not receive," on the day when the great gift came to us, " the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who issueth out of God, in order that we might realise the things which that God bestowed upon us" (1 Cor. ii. 12). This Spirit who comes to quicken our consciousness of the facts of the Christian life is called " the Spirit of Truth" (S. John xiv. 17 ; xv. 26 ; xvi. 13; 1 John iv. 6) ; He becomes in us, if God wills and if we will, "a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation" (Eph. i. 17); and He is " the Spirit of Prophecy " (Rev. xix. 10). (iv.) The title of "the Spirit of Truth" is our Lord's own chosen title for the Paraclete whose coming was to compensate the Apostles, and more than compensate them, for losing His own presence in the flesh. Three times over He calls Him by this solemn title. What the title means, may, as in other cases, be gathered from a contrast. " Hereby," says the Beloved Disciple, " know we the Spirit of Truth, and the spirit of error " (1 John iv. 6). The " spirit of error " is, no doubt, the spirit which sets itself to bewilder and lead men astray; and the Spirit of Truth, on the other hand, is, as Dr. Westcott has said, " the Spirit by whom the Truth finds expression and is brought to man's spirit." 1 It is, at the first glance, a very sobering view to take of the work of the Holy Ghost. He is no inventor of glowing un- 1 Note on S. John xiv. 17. The Spirit of Truth. 489 realities, but the exponent of facts. He is Himself, even as Christ is, " the Truth " (1 John v. 7). Truth is His very nature, and it is all summed up in His Person ; and therefore He is qualified, as none other could be, to " bear witness " to it. " It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth." And this is indeed the kind of inspiration which the Christian man most needs. He needs to be set free from all illusions and vain fancies, and from all inclination to the same, and to be taught the real state of things in which he is, and to prize the know- ledge of it. Such truthfulness of disposition is given to those who will " receive " it (2 Thess. ii. 10) by the Blessed Spirit, the Paraclete, who takes up His abode in us at our Confirmation; and to meet the desire which He has Himself aroused, He brings the percep- tion of realities. Step by step, He " guides " the willing learner " into all the truth " (S. John xvi. 13). Things which Christ was well able to teach, indeed, but which the disciples were unable to learn from Him before the advent of the Paraclete, they are now able to learn by the mysterious power of His indwelling without being overwhelmed. The Bible tells us marvellous things of the knowledge which is put within the reach of every one who has been confirmed. " Ye have an Unction from the Holy One and ye know all things. . . . The Unction which ye received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you " (1 John ii. 20, 27). But above all other things which the Holy Ghost teaches, it is His special delight and function to make known the glories of the 49O The Spirit of Wisdom Incarnate Son, His person and His work. " When the Paraclete whom I shall send unto you from the Father cometh, even the Spirit of Truth which pro- ceedeth out from the Father, He shall bear witness concerning Me " (S. John xv. 26). Whatever else He teaches, He teaches in its relation to Christ. If He convicts of sin, it is "because they believe not on Me ; " if of righteousness, it is " because I go to the Father and ye see Me no more " (S. John xvi. 9, 10). " All the fulness " dwells in Christ, " all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. i. 19; ii. 3); and with infinite skill and judgment the Spirit of truth brings out now one part of the inexhaustible store, and now another, to suit the varying needs of the soul and of the Church. " He shall glorify Me, because He shall take out of that which is Mine and declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine ; for this cause said I that He taketh out of Mine and shall declare it to you" (S. John xvi. 14, 15). (v.) And because Christ is the great subject of His testimony and teaching, therefore it is that the Spirit of Truth shews Himself as a " Spirit of Wisdom and of Revelation." S. Paul significantly adds to this expression the words, "in the knowledge of Him." It is only in the knowledge of Christ that the per- ception of the truth becomes wisdom. To travel step by step into all the truth might possibly end only in a vast accumulation of undigested details, like the erudition of an unpractical scholar. But the knowledge the advancing knowledge (tTrt'yvwmc) Christ turns it into a philosophy. It imparts and of Revelation. 49 1 a majestic unity to all known facts, and shews the bearings of each upon each. And this is the meaning of that wide and lofty virtue which is described in the Bible by the name of "wisdom." It stands re- lated to truth as reflexion is related to observation. S. Clement of Alexandria well describes wisdom as "perfect, being a knowledge of things divine and human, embracing and comprehending all facts in one." 1 Thus wisdom has its ethical and practical side, as well as a theoretical and meditative side. A large and well co-ordinated survey of the system of things in which we are placed shews a man easily what he ought to do, and inclines him to do it. What S. Paul understands by wisdom is well seen in 1 Cor. ii. ; and also what he understands by the "revelation" which he joins to it. "But wisdom, we do indeed speak it among those who are full orown only not a wisdom of this age, or of the leaders of this age who are brought to naught, but we speak a wisdom of God in a mystery, that hidden wisdom, which God before the ages predestined to be a glory for us ; which none of the leaders of this age knoweth, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord to whom that glory belongeth: but as it is written, 'What eye never saw, and ear never heard/ and never stole over the heart of man, ' all the things which God prepared for them that love Him.' For to us [and not to others before us] did God reveal them through the 1 Paedag ii. 2, p. 181 : n*tpt\a0ov KOI TO -ou Otov irvivfjLa). It is what the Holy Ghost is in Himself. As the Father is " the Father of glory " (Eph. i. 17), and as the Son is " the Lord of glory " (1 Cor. ii. 8, comp. S. James ii. 1), so the Spirit who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glori- fied is " the Spirit of Glory and of God." To Him, no less than to Them, belongs all that sum of unimagin- able beauties, and splendours, and perfections, which is called "the glory of God." But it is not for Himself alone that He possesses them. He brings 1 It might perhaps be thought that S. Paul's expression "a spirit of meekness " (1 Cor. iv. 21 ; Gal. vi. 1) should be added to the list. Un- doubtedly meekness is one of the precious fruits of the Spirit (Gal. v. 23), and there is no reason why the Holy Spirit should not be called " the Spirit of Meekness." But a glance at the former passage will show that if S. Paul had intended to refer at all to the Blessed Spirit, he must have written " or in the Spirit of love and meekness," rather than " in love and a spirit of meekness." In both places he means something closely akin to " mood " or " temper" by the word " spirit." His own dealing with the guilty Corinthian Church is an admirable example of the true " Spirit of Correction," " restoring " those " over- taken in a fault." 500 The Spirit of Glory and of God. them all with Him to " rest upon " the Christian to whom He has been given. Scorned and reviled though the man may be, a lustre shines about him which is not his^own. As he shares the sufferings and the reproach of Christ who died for him, a heaven-taught eye can discern that he is already wrapped round with the brilliancy of another world. " Happy " is he. " The Spirit of Glory, yea " for there is something even greater than the glory of God, namely God Himself " yea, the Spirit of God doth rest upon " him. And this is the heritage not of a few heroic martyrs only, at the critical moment of their conflict, but of every humblest Christian who has learned to believe with simplicity the " doctrine of Baptisms and of Laying on of Hands." May He of whom the blind seer-saint of Alexandria feared to write, lest in any way he should blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, forgive whatever in these pages is unworthy of the subject, and correct what- ever is erroneous ; and may He bless to the use of His Church whatever can serve to enlarge our faith in Him and in His indwelling. INDEX. Adoption, 45, 342 Alanua de luaulis, 426 note Alcuiu, 214 foil., 230 Alexander of Hales, 426 note Amalarius, deacon of Metz, 220, 234, 248 Arnalarius, Bishop of Treves, 217 Ambrose, 145 Anastasius of Sinai, 383 Aiwstks, Teaching of the Twelve, 54, 316, 319, 323 Aries, Council of, 132 Assemun, viii. Asterius, 375 Athanasius, 281 Austin, on the parts of Baptism, 82; on unction, 85; on laying on of hands, 93; on the gift of the Spirit, 107 : on Christ's Bap- tism, 458; on Baptism of the Apostles, 466 Baptism, among the Jews, 7; of John, 24 foil., 123, 276, 368 ; administered by our Lord's dis- ciples during His life on earth, 466 Baptism, Christian, its value as distinguished from Confirmation, 20, 41, 43, 50, 71, 73, 106, 126 foil., 142, 151, 162, 195, 201, 219, 222, 224, 239, 254, 258, 275, 291, 297, 310, 311, 318, 328, 376, 385, 390, 394, 400, 427, 455; apart from Confirmation, held to be chiefly a benefit to the body, 117 note, 291, 299, 339, 357, 390 ; a preparation for receiving the Spirit, 37, 60, 73, 224, 257, 275, 295, 302, 353; "form" of, 21 note'; heretical Baptism, 66, 81, 123 foil., 186, 190, 192, 331, 355, 383; lay Baptism, 386; "one Baptism," i.e. not repetible, 186; used in a wider and a more restricted sense, 1 foil., 49, 274 Baptism of blood, 129, 134, 193; of fire, 134,135, 222; with water and the Holy Ghost, 428 ; with the Spirit, not the same as birtli of the Spirit, 44 note; identified by some with Confirmation, 126, 428 note Baptism, our Lord's, 14, 79, 94, 135, 164, 259, 343, 363, 456 Baptism, typical, in the cloud and sea, 40, 361, 375 Barnabas, 56 Basil, 349 Bede, 212 Benedict XIV., ix., 255 Birth, the new, 35 Bishops, encroachment upon the rights of, by presbyters, 203, 213 note Bruno of Asti, 464 Charles the Great, 215, 235 Chrism, used as synonym for Baptism, 360 Christian, the name only applicable to the confirmed, 344 Chrysostom, 37 note, 363, 373, 390 Clement of Alexandria, 255 Clement, " Second Epistle of," 54 Clementine Homilies and Recogni- tions, 328, 329, notes Confessio Orfhodoxa, 425 Confirmation, the word, xii., 187, 191, 192; used of the Eucharist, 197, 215, 216, 225; spoken of as a substitute for the laying on of hands, 426 note; a part of Baptism, xiv., 1 foil., 27, 33, 49, 64, 106, 128, 140, 142, 154, 157, 215, 219, 271, 274, 276, 284, 293, 304, 321, 341, 359, 360, 376, 384, 389 ; not known as a separate sacrament in some Churches, 1, 314, 400, 401 ; now reckoned as such among the Greeks, 379 ; " form " of, among the Latins, 248; among the Greeks, 363 note, 376 note, 394 ; 502 Index. true " form " of, 429 ; insuffici- ency of modern Roman doctrine upon it, 419 ; modern Greek doctrine, 422 ; doctrine of Eng- lish Prayerbook and Articles, 425; popular English teaching, 3 ; prayer an essential part of it, 18 note. 319, 431 note; minister of, 23, 168, 181, 200, 203 foil., 296, 366 Constantinople, Council of, 363, 376 Constitutions, Apostolical, 319 Constitutions, Egyptian, 250 Cornelius, baptism of, 38 ; Austin on, 96; Origen on, 278; Cyril on, 339 Cornelius, Bishop of Rome, 1 18 Cyprian, 64 ; and Austin, 81 ; and Jerome, 163 Cyril of Alexandria, 299 Cyril of Jerusalem, 336, 464 Daille, viii. Dale, on Inspiration, 474 Denys of Alexandria, 280 Denys " the Areopagite," 379 De Belaptismate, 122, foil. Didymus, 290 ; acquaintance with Tertullian's work, 295 ; his fear of blaspheming, 500 Elvira, Council of, 131 Enlightenment, 258 Ephesus, Confirmation at, 23 Ephraem the Syrian, 377 Epiphanius, 348 Eugenius IV., 426 note Eugenius of Carthage, 107 Eusebius, 333 Eusebius of Emesa, 191, 194 note Eustathius of Sebastia, 356 note frcuov and rxeoy, 267, 370, 385 eirnrl-n-rfif, used of the Holy Spirit, 23 note Faustua of Riez, 190, 415 Firmilian, 331, 355 Florence, Council of, 426 note Frere, J., x. Friedhoff, x., 478 Fulgentius, 107, 129 note Gaudentias, 154 Gennadius of Constantinople, 376 Gennadius of Marseilles, 197 Geoffry of Vendome, 466 note Gihon, 9 note, 345 Gnostic use of Baptism and Con- firmation, 111, 117, 268 Gordon, " Twofold Life," 452 Gregory of Nazianzus, 359 ; on age for Baptism, 480 note Gregory of Nyssa, 357 Gregory of Rome, '202 Growth, the chief effect of Con- firmation according to Tridentine teaching, 418 Hall, Bishop, ix. Hammond, viii. Haymo, 2^8 Hermas, 54 Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, 133 Hilary, the " Ambrosian," 160, 296 Hildefonsus, 209 Holy Spirit, Paschal and Pente- costal gifts of, 16, 107, 170, 335, 362, 464 foil. ; works outside of the Church, 453 ; with and with- out the definite article, 19 note, 283, 492 note ; indwelling of, 434, 440; benefits of the indwelling, 478 foil.; not "given" in Bap- tism proper, 19, 60, 233, 427; spoken of as capable of being regained after loss, 161, 173, 223, 280 Hooker, ix., 5 Hurter, 419 Innocent, 178 Irenaeus, 110 Isidore of Pelusium, 297 Isidore of Seville, 208 Jerome, 163, 233 Jesse, Bishop of Amiens, 216 note John of Damascus, 383 John, deacon of Rome, 199 Justin Martyr, 316 Klee, x. Lactantius, 77 Laodicea, Council of, 363 Laying on of hands, in the Old Testament, 9 ; supposed to have been used in John's baptism, 8, Index. 503 372 foil.; in benediction of Rabbis, 10; in admission of a "son of precept," 10; close con- nexion with unction, 12 ; re- tained longer at Alexandria than in other Eastern Churches, 250, 287, 304; Firmilian the last Greek author who uses the term elsewhere, 333 ; the term revived at a later period, 333, 377, 383, 384,387,388; Cyril of Jerusalem avoids it, 341; and Theodoret, 374; Chrysostom appears to make it a different thing from Con- firmation, 369; used in a sense not involving contact, 13 note, 305, 329 note; penitential use of in reception of heretics, 67, 179, 186, 197, 280, 329 note, 383; said by S. Austin to be " prayer," 103 ; used by Gnostics, 269; not intended in the New Testament to convey only mira- culous gifts, 31, 99, 477 Leidrad, 217 Leo, 183 Macarius, Bishop of Vinnitza, x. 422 Macarius the Egyptian, 287 Magnus of Sens, 218 Manning, Cardinal, 453 Mark the Hermit, 297 Martinet, x. Maximus of Turin, 158, 214 " Meaux, Council of," 426 note ' Melchiades," 415 foil. Melito, 57, 111, 256 Moberly, 466, 474 Moule, 449, 451,477 Nestorius, 458 Novatian, 118 foil. Novatianists, did they use unction, 118, 122, 141 Odilbert, 216 Oecumenius, 387 Optatus, 78 Ordo Bomanus, 234, 235 Origen, 272, 447 Oswald, J. H., ix., 473 note, 480 not Pacian, 139 Perfection, 259 foil. Peter Chrysologus, 157 Photius, 386 Praedestinatus, 196 "Presbyter," used for " bishop,'' 252 note, 268 Priesthood of the laity, conferred in Confirmation, 11, 176, 462 Primasius, commentary ascribed to, 228 Prosper, 188 Prudentius, 181 Puller, F. W., x. Raban, 223 Regeneration, used of Christ's Bap- tism, 261, 467; conferred in Baptism apart from Confirma- tion, 73, 195, 201, 221, 276, 317; even by heretical Baptism, 187, 190 ; confusion with regard to the meaning of the word, 74, 232 ; often held to include the receiv- ing of the Holy Ghost, 75, 80, 116, 133, 140, 152, 175, 190, 281, 284, 288, 290, 300, 353, 357, 466 note ; spoken of as a temporary thing, 424 ; used in a secondary sense of conversion, 376 Remigius, 228 Renewal, 48 Robert Pullus, or Pullen, 466 note Rufinus, 119, 156 Rupert of Deutz, 443, 470 Sacramentum, used in different senses by Austin, 89 ; the sacra- menta of Baptism, 136, 154; utrumque sacramentum, i.e. Bap- tism and Confirmation, 69, 76; four the number of the sacra- ments, 196, 224 Saintebeuve, viii., 319 Salvian, 189 Samaria, Confirmation stt, 18, 70, 276, 366 Sanctificare, in Cyprian, 65; in Austin, 83 Seal, the, what constitutes it, xiii., 54, 63 note, 119, 149, 182, 184, 226, 256, 323, 324, 356; appa- rently used of the baptismal water, by Hennas, 54 ; Tertullian, 504 Index. 62 ; Apostolical Constitutions, 324; Cyril of Jerusalem, 337; its significance, 147, 163, 282, 294, 296, 324, 350, 351, 378 *irice, 177 Spirits, indwelling of evil, 438 Stephen, Bishop of Rome, 123, 331, 332 Taylor, Bishop J., ix., 381 note Tertullian, 59 ; known to Leidrad, 217; to Didymus, 295 Theodore of Mopsuestia, 371 Theodoret, 372 Theodulf, 219 Theognostus, 279 Theophilus, 330 Theophylact, 388 Thomas Aquinas, 415 foil. Trent, Council of, 415 foil Unction, among the Jews, 8 foil. ; did the Apostles use it in Con- firmation, 10; close connexion with laying on of hands, 12; not repeated in Africa at recep- tion of heretics, 85, 104; but repeated in the East, 356, 363 ; and after lay Baptism, 387 ; used by Gnostics, 111, 117; its value at first indeterminate in Africa, 63, 68, 80 ; and at Alexandria, 254, 267 ; originally the unction in Confirmation identical with that in Baptism, 63 notes, 213 note, 251; later distinction be- tween them, 221, 224, 226 ; effect of the division, 231 ; unc- tion of the forehead reserved for the bishop, 181; allowed by Gregory the Great to presbyters, 205 ; opposite rule of the Apos- tolical Constitutions, 327; im- portance of prsebaptismal unction in the East, 328, 342 ; " matter " of unction, 80, 111, 150, 266, 267, 326, 381; consecration of the chrism performed by the bishop, 168, 169, 180, 181, 185, 204 note, 225 note, 231, 252, 296 note ; in course of the Eucharist, 68, 84 ; chrism applied by presbyters in the East, 386 ; its use in Ordina- tion, 463 note Victorinus of Pettau, 131 Vigilius, Bishop of Rome, 179 note Water, transelementation of the baptismal, 146, 299, 338, 357 Witasse, ix. 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