ness or infirmity, whether they are to be accounted lawful Christians, because they are not washed all over with the water of salvation, but have only some water poured upon them;' and after reasoning at a considerable length, he concludes, that such baptism is valid, and that if persons recover, it is not necessary that they should be baptized by immersion. They did not however allow those who had received this clinic baptism, (as it was called,) to be admitted to the holy order of Ministers, and this was among the objections against the election of Novatian to the bishopric of Rome, that he had been baptized when sick in bed. The custom of the primitive church gives no sanction to baptism by effusion or sprinkling, except in case of necessity. Is it then asked why such sprinkling is now become in practice so common? To such a question it may be replied, that the first author who speaks of such baptism in the church, is Gennadius of Marseilles in the fifth century, who says that baptism was ministered in his time in the Gallic church indifferently either by immersion, or by sprinkling.' It is certain however, that baptism by sprinkling had not yet become general in that church. Even in the thirteenth century, Thomas

Aquinas says, that baptism may be given not only by immersion, but also by effusion of water, or sprinkling with it, but it is the safer way to baptize by immersion, because that is the more ancient custom. Erasmus tells us that in his time, that is, in the reign of Henry the Eighth, it was the custom to sprinkle infants in Holland, and to dip them in England. When effusion was first substituted in the room of immersion, they poured the water three times upon the face, as appears from the council of Angier, in the thirteenth century, and the same practice continued in Germany as late as the middle of the fifteenth century. In the form of common prayer printed in King Edward the sixth's reign, the minister is directed to dip the child. In a sermon published by Watson, Bishop of Lincoln, in the year 1558, the last year of Queen Mary's reign, he says that though the ancient tradition of the church has been from the beginning to dip the child three times, yet that it is not of such necessity, but that if it be but once dipped in the water it is sufficient, yea and in time of great peril and necessity, if the water be but poured upon the head it will suffice. In the reign of Elizabeth, immersion came by degrees into disuse, and this

alteration was in a great measure owing to the principles which some of our divines had imbibed at Geneva, where they had taken refuge during the reign of Queen Mary; and Calvin directs that the minister should pour water upon the infant, and this was the first public form of baptism which prescribed effusion. Our present rubric directs that the minister, 'if they shall certify him that the child may well endure it, shall dip him in the water; but if they shall certify that the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon him;' yet for these last two hundred years, it has been the general practice in this country, perhaps with some exceptions at the beginning of that period to baptize children by sprinkling them with water. Mr. Wheatly's account is much to the same effect. After having stated that by dipping, the ends and effects of baptism are more significantly expressed, and that baptism, except on extraordinary occurrences, was seldom or never administered for the four first centuries, except by immersion, he adds, 'nor is effusion or sprinkling ordinarily used

to this day in any country that was never subject to the Pope. And it has never yet obtained 'so far as to be enjoined, dipping having been

always prescribed by the rubrick. The Salisbury Missal, printed in 1530 (the last that was in 'force before the reformation) expressly requires ' and orders dipping. And in the first common prayer book of king Edward VI. the general 'order is to dip the child in the water, so it be 'discreetly and warily done; the rubric only allow'ing, if the child be weak, that then it shall 'suffice to pour water upon it. Nor was there any alteration made in the following book,

except the leaving out the order to dip him 'thrice, which was prescribed by the first book. 'However it being allowed to weak children '(though strong enough to be brought to church) to 'to be baptized by effusion; many fond ladies at first, and then by degrees the common people, 'would persuade the minister that their children were too tender for dipping. But what principally tended to confirm this practice was, that 'several of our English divines flying into Germany and Switzerland, during the bloody reign of Queen Mary, and returning home when ⚫ Elizabeth came to the throne, brought back with 'them a great love and zeal to the customs of those Protestant churches beyond sea, where

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sequently, from the custom in Geneva and some ⚫ other places, baptism now began to be per'formed by effusion, Cal. Ins. lib. iv. c. 15. They 'thought they could not do the church of England a greater piece of service, than to introduce a ' practice sanctioned by so great an oracle as Cal'vin. So that in the latter times of Queen Eliza• beth, and during the reigns of King James, and King Charles I. there were but very few children dipped in the font. And afterwards, when the directory was put out by the Parliament, ef'fusion (to those who could submit to their ordinance) began to have a shew of establishment, it being declared not only lawful, but sufficient and ' most expedient, that children should be baptized by pouring or sprinkling of water on their face; and as it were for the further prevention of im'mersion or dipping, it was particularly provided, ' that baptism should not be administered in places ' where fonts in the time of popery were unfitly and superstitiously placed; and accordingly (which 6 was in keeping with the rest of their reformation) they changed the font into a bason, which being brought to the minister in his reading desk, and 'the child being held below him, he dipped in his

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fingers, and so took up water enough just to