Wherefore I may conclud by the foretelling of the Prophets by Christs institution by the practise of the Apostles by the vse of the Primitiue Church by the consent of Fathers and the agreement of all ages water to be true and onlie matter of this Sacrament CAP. 2. VVhat are the reasons whie water aboue all other things was chosen and taken for the matter of this Sacrament PRincipallie because water by operation doth mundifie purge cleanse and washe all filth away and being thus significatiue doth expresse the effects of Baptisme that is to mundifie purge cleanse and washe the soule from sinne And S. Cyrill Bishop of Ierusalem doth yeeld aboundant reasons First Cyrillus Catech 3. water is one of the chiefest elements of the fower and no terrene Creature hath a being of life without this element So of the Sacraments Baptisme is the first and chiefe Sacrament and no terrene earthlie man borne into this world hath ordinarilie his being and birth in Christ his spirituall life without the water of Baptisme Second heauen is the habitacle of Angells but the heauens are from the waters so man Gen. 1. being borne to be Cittizen with Angells is to haue his heauen and habitacle from and by the water of regeneration Third the earth is the place for the waters but the earth is from the waters so man although his place and nature be earth yet he hath a spirituall being by the water of regeneration Fourth before the distinction of all things created and the diuision of the sixe dayes the spirite of God moued ouer the waters so that as water in the begining of the world Gen. ca. 1. v. 2. receaued certaine virtue of the Holie Ghost to giue life and produce liuing creatures so the water of Baptisme receaueth virtue of the same Holie Ghost to regenerate man anewe and to giue him life in Christ Fifth At the waters of Iordan Math. 3 Mar. 1. Luc. 3. when Christ came to be Baptised the distinction of persons in the Blessed Trinitie shewed it self God the Father spake from heauen This is my Beloued Sonne God the Holie Ghost in the forme of a doue light vpon the shoulders of our Sauiour And God the Sonne Christ Iesus in humane nature came to be Baptised of Iohn So in Baptisme Christ commaunded the forme to be in the name of the Blessed Trinitie the Father the Sonne and the Holie Ghost Sixth S. Marke began his Ghospell with the Baptisme of Iohn and the waters of Iordan so we begin to enter into the Church of God to be members of Christs Bodie misticall and to enioy the fruites of the Ghospell by the waters of Baptisme Gen. 1. ver 6. Seauenth As water was at the first the begining of the world so the water of Baptisme by Christs institution is the begining of spirituall life Eight Ezo 14 The deliuerie of Israelites from Pharao was effected by the waters of the seas so deliuerie of the world from sinne was in the lauer of water in the word of God Ninth After the deluge and ouerflowing of the earth with water God made a league Gen. 9. pacte and promise with Noe that he would neuer destroy the world with water againe but as water was vsed as a punishmeÌ„t for sinne so should it now be a preseruatiue against sinne 4 Reg. 2. Tenth Elias first passed the waters of Iordan and then after he was rapte into heauen so we must first passe by Baptisme before we can enter into heauen Eleauenth Aaron and his sonnes by the commaundement of God Exod. 29. were to be washed in water before they could be made Priests so in the lawe of Christ no man can be capable of holie Orders or made Priest before he be washed in the water of Baptisme Exod. 38. And the brasen lauer or cesterne of water which God commaunded Moyses to make in the old Testament was a figure of Baptisme And it was commaunded to be set and placed betweene the Tabernacle of testimonie and the Altar being filled full of water Exo 40. and that none should enter vnder the roofe of the Couenant no â—ot Moyses nor Arron nor his sonnes before â—hey had washed their hands and feete to signifie how cleane in all partes the water of baptisme did make the soule of man These are the reasons which S. Cyrill giueth why water especiallie was elected and chosen â—o be the matter and one of the principall and essensiall partes of Baptisme Tho. 3. p. q. 66. a. 2. Arist. li. 2. Phys And S. Thomas â—ddeth that there is no generation of terrene â—nd earthlie Creatures but by humiditie and â—ater and therefore as Aristotle reporteth according to the opinion of some Philosoâ—hers Aqua erat principium omnium rerum â—ater was the begining of all creatures so Bapâ—isme is the begining of all Spirituall life and we are borne anewe and regenerated by water and the Holy Ghost Water is humide moyst and therefore apte to washe and cleanse It is frigide and cold and therefore apte to refrigerate coole and temper heate It is Diaphanike and cleare as Cristal and therefore apte to receaue light So Baptisme doth washe and cleanse the soule from sinne coole and temper the heate of Concupiscence cleare and illuminate the soule with the light of faith and true beleefe in Christ Iesus CAP. 3. VVhat kind of water was instituted the matter of this Sacrament THere is no doubt and it is generallie concluded of all Diuines that elementall water is the true wather and matter of this Sacrament And the elementall water we call either fountaine water well water rayne water riuer water running water poole water or standing water and sea water Concernig sea water some there are who moue some question and make some difficultie because it is not simple and pure water as the other waters are but troubled mixte muddie and salte yet all Diuines generallie hold that sea water is sufficient and true water for this Sacrament Because it is elementall hath the Species and forme of true water and all other elementall water doth issue spring and hath his begining from the seas and neuer resteth but runneth continually vntill it arriue vnto the sea againe from whence it had his begining because the sea is the naturall and proper place for the waters And no doubt Christ made choyse and instituted this naturall elementall and common water for the vse of this Sacrament because it is vsuall and ordinarie in all places and countreys and common to all people rich and poore This was most conuenient for that this Sacrament is of necessitie to saluation the gate and entrie to life eternall and wthout this no Christianitie Therefore it was necessarie as S. Thomas and other Doâ—tours say that the matter thereof should â—e easie to be gotten of all vsuall in all places common to all people CAP. 4. VVhether one may be Baptised with Ice Snow or hayle IT is the generall
the power of darkenes But the onlie meanes by Christ instituted to deliuer Infants and children from darknesse and the power of Satan is Baptisme wherfore vntill they be Baptized they remaine captiue and vnder the power of Satan in darknesse But they who conuerse with Satan in the dungeon of darknesse can not be in place of pleasure nor enioy great felicitie Ergo it is manifest they remaine in hell It is plaine in the Gospell that in the latter day when Christ shall come to iudge the world Mat. 25.23 all men must goe either on the right hand or on the lefte There are then but two wayes but children dying without Baptisme are not for the right hand then of necessitie they must goe on the left hand but the way on the lâ—ft hand is damnation and hell if damnation and hell then no place of pleasure and felicitie Werfore to conclude what care ought Parents to haue that this Sacrament of Baptisme be duly ministred to ther Children And what griefe it ought to be in them if by their negligence or by inclining vnto this new deuise of Caluin they should send their Infants vnto the darke dungeon of hell vnder the power of the deuill captiuitie of Satan There is but one difficultie or obiection of any importance Obiect that may be vrged against the alleadged reasons that is After the generall Iudgment and destuction of the world by fire Almightie God will make all new Apoc. 21. A new heauen and a new earth but this new earth shall not be vacant without inhabitans The Angells and Saints and seruants of Christ shall haue heauen the deuills and damned shall haue hell It soundeth probablie that the Infants and children dying without Baptisme who neuer committed actuall sinne may haue this middle place inhabite the earth and enioy the pleasures therof To this argument I answeare Sol. that this earth shall not be inhabited neither by man nor beast And that by the heauen is vnderstood the ayre Heauen and earth shall be a new that is all the fower elementes the ayer the water the earth and the fire shall be renewed made pure without mixture and put in their naturall places The ayre shal haue no liuing thing in it the birds and fowles of the ayre shall be gone the waters shall enuiron and compasse about the whole earth there shall be no fish in it the earth shall haue no cattle no beasts no liuing creature in it no trees no fruite no flowres no grasse on the ground Non erit arida There shall be no drie land But as I haue sayed all shall be enuironed and compassed about with the wathers The reason is pregnant out of Saint Iohn Apoc. 21. Who sayeth Prima terra abijt mare iam non est The first earth is gone the seas now are not For the wather shall be without tearme or limitte For what are the seas but waters limitted within such a compasse that they shall not passe to enuiron or ouerwhelme the whole earth Therfore after the first creation of the elements God sayed Gen. 1.9 Congregenâ—ur aquae in locum vnum vt appareat arida Congregationesque aquarum appellauit maria Let the wathers be gathered to geather in one place that the drie land may appeare and the gathering to geather of the wathers he called the seas So thar we may conclude that when in the innouation the seas shall be no more the waters shall haue their full course ouer the face of the whole earth Tho. in sup a. q. 91. ar 5. And the reason in this innouation of the destruction of all things both in the ayre the wathers and on the earth may be because all these creatures as the fowles of the ayre the fishes of the seas the beast and fruits of the earth were ordained of God only for the vse maintenance and comfort of man but man being taken away all the elements shall be renewed and restored to â—heir naturall course So that there can be no â—abitatioÌ„ at all vpon the earth of man or beast Two places there shall remaine only habitable â—hat is heauen and hell heauen for the good Angells and Saints and hell for the deuills and damned soules Therfore the ordinarie opinion of School-diuines is that the place for Children dying without Baptisme In. 2 senten dist 33. v. in 4. dist 45. shall be â—he horrible prison and dungeon of hell And â—his onlie reliefe they shall haue as hath bene â—ayed they shal not suffer anie sensible paiâ—e nor be tormented with hell fire nor haâ—e anie worme of conscience grawing on â—hem nor remorse for anie fault they did â—pon earth because they neuer committed â—nie actuall sinne Wherfore I conclude they can haue no middle place betweene heauen and hell neither can they inhabite or liue on the earth to enioy anie naturall kind of felicitie or pleasure CAP. 9. VVhether they shall haue anie excessiue grief in hell for that they are depriued of the fruition and sight of God Aug li 6. in IulianuÌ„ cap. 4. vltra mediuÌ„ B. Greg. lib. 9. moral c. 16. FulgeÌ„ de fide ad Pet. IT is the opinion of some Doctours as S. Augustine S. Gregorie and Fulgentius that the Infants dying without Baptisme can not be exempted nor freed from all sorrow and grief because they know they were created to the Image and liknesse of God and that they want their finall end for the which they had their begining which was to prayse God to see God and to haue a certaine beatitude and blessednes the want wherof can not but be a certaine great grief vnto them Yet it is the more generall opinion of the greater part of Diuines that their sorrow and grief can be but small and litle because they haue manie causes to lenifie and mitigate this their grief and sorrow Although they had a knowledge of God and were not ignorant of some kind of beatitude and blessednes yet because they neuer had any acte or habite to execute it wherby they might attaine vnto it but a weake remote and farre of disposition onlie which could effect nothing therfore their grief caÌ„ not be great for the losse of that wherof they neuer had perfect knowledge nor in them selues meanes to attaine Againe it was nor by their proper negligeÌ„ce but by the fault of an other that they haue lost so great a good Also these Infants neuer tasted of the delights of heauen or earth but we know by experience that we neuer grieue so much for the want of those things we neuer had as we doe for the losse of those things we haue possessed or were in power to enioy We are easely coÌ„tent to want tose things we neuer had vse of and neuer looked after neither in Spe nor In re Neither in expectance nor in deed But so it is with the Infants therfore their grief can not be great Besides all this it must needes be a
Christeninge CAP. XIX Wether one or trinall immersions are to be vsed in baptisme THe church of god ordinarely doth vse and cōmaund three immersions or dippings of the child Wherfor although one myght suffice yet it were a great synne to infringe and break the rite and ordinarie custome of the church By three immersions is signified the trinitie of persons in God that is the Father the sonne and the hollie ghost and as the forme doth geue so the immersions followe Rom. 6. Also because S. Paule sayeth that by baptisme we are sayed to be buried with Christ therfor the three immersions are done to signifie the three dayes Christ was in the sepulcher serm 3. 4. ad Neophitas wherfor S. Augustine in a sermon he made to the new baptised hath these wordes recte tertio mersi estis c. You who haue receaued baptisme in the name of the trinitie rightfully you are three tymes dipped and with reason also bee thrice dipped who haue bine baptised in the name of Iesus Christ who the thyrd daye rose from death for that thyrd immersion doth expresse the type and figure of our lordes buriall by which you are consepulted and buried together with Christ in baptisme thus much S. Augustine And to the same effect speaketh S. Hierome ter mergimur c. We are three tymes diped that the mysterie of the trinitie may be shewed and appeare And we are not baptized in the names in the plurall number but in the name in the singular number wherby is signified on God wherfor although we are thrice dipped to declare the misterie of the trinitie yet it is but one god on baptisme lib. Epist. 41. vnus Deus vnum Baptisma one god on baptisme Also S. Gregorie wrytinge vnto Leander bisshope in Spayne doth approue three immersions and also not disallowe yf there be but one So that for this ceremonie of three immersions we haue three Doctors of the church S. Hierome S. Augustine and S. Gregorie besides these there is an Apostolicall constitution Can. 49. as recordeth S. Clement which doth depose that priest who shall baptize without trinall immersion by reason of some heretick in the verie begeninge and infancie of the church who baptized not in the name of the trinitie but only in the death of Christ and because Christ dyed but once he would vse but one immersion You maye obiect that in the forth Counsell of Toledo baptisme was commaunded to be effected with one immersion I aunswere it is trwe it was so commaunded and this was to avoyed the scandall of schisme and the vse of hereticall doctrine wherfor S. Gregorius sayeth baptisme may be effected with one immersion to signifie one deitie in three parsons And this was at that tyme done because some Arrians began to baptise with three immersions not to signifie as the Catholikes did the three parsons in one deitie but to signifie three naturs which was to make the sonne and the holly ghost not to be of one substance with the father wherfor one immersion was permitted in Spayne by S. Gregorius and also commaunded by the counsel of Toledo because these hereticks should not thinck that Catholicks did vse the trinall immersion to cōfirme their doctrine And therfor all Catholicks of that countrie at that tyme agreed to vse but one immersion but now that occasion of one immersion being taken awaye all Catholick coūtries ordinarely doe returne to the auncient costome of the primatiue church and doe practise and commaund three immersions an◠this power and right the Catholick church hath and euer had concerning ceremonies rites t◠alter as occasion by heretickes was geuen to edification But for any essentiall parte of any sacrament she newer hath nor can alter or permitt to be altered vppon any occasion whatsoeuer for the essentiall part Christ himselfe instituted and leafte the rites and ceremonies to his church CAP. 20. Wether the vnction with holie chrisme on the crowne of the head after baptisme be allowable NOw being come to our thyrd diuision of ceremonies which are to be done and acted after baptisme you shall vnderstand that they are three in number which the Catholick church doth specially practise The fyrst is vnction with holy chrisme vppon the topp or crowne of the head The second is the chrisome or white garment which is put vppon the baptised The third is the taper or waxe candle light and burning beinge geuen and putt in the right hand of the baptized All which three the Protestants neglect or contemne as vnprofitable not honorable nor significant and haue quiet blotted them out of theire bookes Concerninge the fyrst Soe soone as the child is taken out of the font the priest doth annoynt him not with holy oyle as before on the breast and shoulders but with holy Chrisme and that on the crowne of the head to signifie that now he is become a Christeā and so called of Christ which is as much as vnctus annoynted and therfor an annoynted Christean and then he vseth this orison or prayer God omnipotent father of our lord Iesus Christ who hath regenerated thee of water and the holy ghost and also who hath geuen thee remission of all thy synnes he doth annoynt the With the crisme of oyle of health into life everlastinge lib. 30. de Sacramentis c. 1. S. Ambrose after this ceremonie is perfected sayeth to euerie Christean man vnctus es quasi Athleta Christi Now thou art annoynted as the champion of Christ vnto life eternall And Rabanus wryteth to this effect after sayeth he the child is taken out of the font presently he is signed in cerebro in the crowne of the head with sacred Chrisme together with the prayer of the priest that he may be made partaker of the kingdome of Christ and of Christ be called a Christean S. Ambrose goeth farther and asketh the question Quare Caput lib. 3. de sacra c. 1. 2. Eccles 2. why hast thou receaued oyntment and holy Chrisme vppon thy head he maketh the answere and geueth the reason quia sensus sapientis in capite eius because the sense and vnderstandinge the eyes of the wise are in his head And thus much to shewe how significant this ceremonie is Now for the antiquitie therof that it was vsed in the primatiue church we haue amonge the decrees and rites of the church which were published and instituted by S. Syluester the fyrst pope of that name who baptised Constantine the great and fyrst christean Emperor vt praesbiter baptizati Chrismate summum liniret verticem That the priest should annoynt the crowne of the head of the baptized with chrisme Also S. Hierome reporteth that in his tyme in dialogo contra luciferanos it waz not lawfull for the priests to baptise without chrisme What reason then haue the protestants of this age not to allowe but to neglect and contemne so significant a ceremonie I knowe no reason but one because they