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spectators at the Roman shows: What is the first profession' that Christians make at baptism? Is it not a protestation, that they renounce the devil, and his pomps, and his shows, and his works? Therefore these shows and pomps, even by our own profession, are the works of the devil. How then, O Christian, canst thou, after baptism, follow those shows, which thou confessest to be the work of the devil? Tertullian made use of the same argument before, to make Christians refrain from following the Roman theatres. But then he had also the charge of idolatry to throw into the scale against them. For, says he," what is the chief and principal thing to be understood by the devil, his pomps, and his angels, but idolatry? Therefore if all the preparation and furniture of the shows be made up of idolatry, there can be no dispute, but that the renunciation we make in baptism relates to those shows, and is a testimony against them. He argues after the same manner, against all such secular offices, and honours, and employments, as could not be held and discharged without partaking in some idolatrous rites and ceremonies; such as the offices of the flamens, and many others; in which, the very wearing of a crown or garland, or exhibiting some of the public shows to the people, as by such an office they were obliged to do, made them guilty of idolatry, though they abstained from the grosser act of it, that of offering incense and sacrifice to the idols. And so the council of Eliberis " determined, That such flamens as only exhibited the public shows to the people, (which in their language is called Munus dare,) though they did not sacrifice to the idols, should be cast out of the church all their lives, and only be admitted to communion at the hour of death. Whence it is plain, that in the times of heathenism and idolatry, all such offices and employments as obliged men to exhibit those public games and shows to the people, were supposed to be included in the renunciation of the pomps and works of the devil, because of the idola

Salvian. de Provident. lib. 6. p. 197. Quæ est enim in baptismo salutari Christianorum prima confessio? Quæ scilicet, nisi ut renunciare se diabolo ac pompis ejus, atque spectaculis et operibus protestentur? Ergo spectacula et pompæ, etiam juxta nostram professionem opera sunt diaboli. Quomodo, O Christiane, spectacula post baptismum sequeris, quæ opus esse diaboli confiteris? Vid. Cyril. Catech. Myst. 1. n. 4.

Tertul. de Spectac. cap. 4. Quid erit summum ac præcipuum in quo diabolus et pompæ et angeli ejus censeantur, quam idololatria?-Igitur si ex idololatria universam spec⚫taculorum paraturam constare constiterit, indubitate præjudicatum erit etiam ad spectacula pertinere renunciationis nostræ testimonium in lavacro.

Tertul. de Coron. Mil. cap. 13. Hæ erant pompa diaboli et angelorum ejus, officia seculi, honores, solennitates postulatrices, falsa vota, humana servitia, laudes vanæ, gloriæ turpes: et in omnibus istis idololatria in solo quoque censu coronarum, quibus omnia ista redimita sunt.

try that was interwoven with them. But in the time of Salvian, all this idolatry was abolished, and these pomps and shows were no longer exhibited to the honour of idol gods: yet they had still so much vanity, lewdness, and profaneness in them, that they were justly complained of as unchristian and diabolical, upon the account of their immorality, and therefore were reputed among those unlawful pomps which every Christian was supposed to renounce at his baptism. Cyril of Jerusalem, who wrote after idolatry was in a great measure destroyed, still continues the charge" against them for their lewdness and cruelty, and reckons them among the pomps of the devil, whilst he is explaining to his catechumens this part of their baptismal profession.

The antiquity of this renunciation

Sect. 3.

this renunciation. some derived

practice.

is evidenced from all the writers that The antiquity of have said any thing of baptism. And from apostolical by some it is derived from apostolical institution and practice. For so they interpret that passage of St. Paul to Timothy, 1 Tim. vi. 12, “ Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." The authors of the Comments under the names of St. Ambrose and St. Jerom, supposed to be Hilary the Roman deacon and Pelagius, give this interpretation of the place: Thou hast confessed a good confession" in baptism, by renouncing the world and its pomps, before many witnesses, before the priests and ministers and the heavenly powers. So Pelagius. And Hilary" seems to say further, that this confession was also entered or enrolled in the monuments of the church. Others do not found it upon this or any other express text of Scripture, but yet derive it from ancient tradition. As Tertullian and St. Basil, the former of which reckons " it among many other ecclesiastical rites and usages, which are not expressly determined in Scripture, but yet proceeded from tradition, and are confirmed by custom. And St. Basil" ranks it among those mystical rites which were received in

10 Conc. Eliber. can. 3. Item flamines, qui non immolaverint, sed munus tantum dederint, eo quod se a funestis abstinuerunt sacrificiis, placuit in fine eis præstari communionem, acta tamen legitima pœnitentia.

1 Cyril. Catech. Mystag. 1. n. 4. p. 280.

12

Pelag. in 1 Tim. vi. 12. Confessus es bonam confessionem in baptismo, renunciando sæculo et pompis ejus, coram multis testibus, coram sacerdotibus, vel ministris, virtutibusque cœlestibus.

13 Ambros. in 1 Tim. vi. 12. Cujus confessio inter ipsa rudimenta fidei, teste interrogante et respondente, monumentis ecclesiasticis continetur.

14 Tertul. de Coron. Mil. c. 3. Hanc si nulla Scriptura determinavit, certe consuetudo corroboravit, quæ sine dubio de traditione manavit.

15 Basil. de Spir. Sancto, c. 27. Twv iv tỷ ikkλnoig πεφυλαγμένων δογμάτων καὶ κηρυγμάτων, τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἐγγράφου διδασκαλίας ἔχομεν, τὰ δὲ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀποστό λων παραδόσεως, διαδοθέντα ἡμῖν ἐν μυστηρίω.

the church, not from any written word, but by pri vate direction and tradition from the apostles. The conjecture of those learned men" is not improbable, who think the form of renunciation, made by way of questions and answers, to have been so ancient in the church, as that the apostle St. Peter may be justly thought to refer to it, when he styles baptism, "The answer of a good conscience toward God," which can reasonably refer to nothing so well as that common custom of answering in baptism, Dost thou renounce the devil? &c. I renounce him. Dost thou believe in God? &c. I believe.

It is further to be observed concernThis renunciation ing this renunciation, that as soon as

Sect. 4.

made by persons

standing with their baptisteries were built, there was a

face to the west.

And the reason of particular place in them assigned pe

that practice with

mes.

some other ceremo- culiarly to this service. For they commonly had two distinct apartments, as has been showed before," in the description of churches; first, their pоaúλiov olkov, their porch, or ante-room, where the catechumens made their renunciations of Satan, and confessions of faith; and then their lowrepov olkov, their inner room, where the ceremony of baptism was performed. When the catechumens were brought into the former of these, they were placed with their faces to the west, and then commanded to renounce Satan with some gesture and rite expressing an indignation against him, as by stretching out their hands, or folding them, or striking them together; and sometimes by exsufflation and spitting at him, as if he were present: which were all of them so many indications of their abhorrence. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his mystical catechisms to the illuminated, thus describes this part of the action: Ye were first brought into the ante-room of the baptistery, and placed toward the west in a standing posture, and then commanded to renounce Satan, by stretching out your hands against him, as if he were present. A little after he explains the meaning of their doing this with their face toward the west. The west, says he, is the place of darkness, and Satan is darkness, and his strength is in darkness. For this reason ye symbolically look toward the west, when ye renounce that prince of darkness and horror. St. Jerom plainly alludes to this custom, when he says, In our mysteries, meaning the celebration of baptism, we first renounce him that is in the

18

19

16 See Dr. Cave, Prim. Christ. lib. 1. cap. 10. p. 315, and Estius and Grotius on 1 Pet. iii. 21.

17 Book VIII. chap. 7. sect. 1.

18 Cyril. Catech. Mystag. 1. n. 2. p. 278. Elonetε πOTOV εἰς τὸν προαύλιον οἶκον το βαπτιτηρίω, καὶ πρὸς τὰς δυσμὰς ἐτῶτες, ἠκέσατε καὶ προσετάττεσθε ἐκτείνειν τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ὡς παρόντι ἀπετάττεσθε τῷ Σατανά.

19 Hieron. in Amos vi. 14. In mysteriis primum renunciamus ei qui in occidente est, nobisque moritur cum peccatis: et sic versi ad orientem, pactum inimus cum sole justitiæ, et ei servituros nos esse promittimus.

| west, who dies to us with our sins: and then turning about to the east, we make a covenant with the Sun of righteousness, and promise to be his servants. In like manner, St. Ambrose, discoursing to some newly baptized persons;" When you entered into the baptistery, and had viewed your adversary whom you were to renounce, you then turned about to the east. For he that renounces the devil, is turned unto Christ. Whence, as Gregory Nazianzen" observes, they did not only renounce the devil in words, but in their very habit and gesture; for they did it divested of their clothes, and with their body turned toward the west, and with hands stretched out against him; to this they added sometimes a collision, or striking of the hands together, and an exsufflation, or a spitting at their adversary, to express their abhorrence of him, as the author under the name of Dionysius" describes it.

Sect. 5.
Why this renun-

three times.

made

From whom we learn also, that this renunciation was repeated three times. ciation was For, in another place, he thus describes the whole ceremony: The priest makes the person who is to be baptized" to stand with his hands stretched out toward the west, and striking them together; (the original is, τàç xɛīpaç ȧnwOouvra, which denotes collision, or striking of the hands together by way of abhorrence ;) then he bids him ἐμφυσῆσαι τρὶς τῷ Σατανᾷ, thrice exsufate, or spit, in defiance of Satan: afterwards, thrice repeating the solemn words of renunciation, he bids him thrice renounce him in that form: then he turns him about to the east, and with hands and eyes lift up to heaven, bids him συντάξασθαι τῷ Χριστῷ, enter into covenant with Christ. Vicecomes 24 thinks this triple renunciation was made, either because there were three things which men renounced in their baptism, the devil, his pomps, and the world; or to signify the three persons of the Trinity, by whom they were adopted as sons upon their renouncing Satan; or because it was usual in civil adoptions and emancipation of slaves, for the master to yield up his right by a triple renunciation, which he shows from Aulus Gellius and Sigonius. But as the ancients are silent in this matter, I leave these reasons to the discretion of every judicious reader.

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20 Ambros. de Initiatis, cap. 2. Ingressus ut adversarium tuum cerneres cui renunciandum mox putares, ad orientem converteris. Qui enim renunciat diabolo, ad Christum convertitur.

21 Naz. Orat. 40. de Bapt. p. 67. гvwon kai тois σxúμασi καὶ τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ὡς ὅλην ἀποπέμπῃ τὴν ἀθεΐαν, ὅτως ὅλῃ, θεότητι συντασσόμενος.

22 Dionys. de Hierarch. Eccl. cap. 3. p. 258. Tvμvòv kai ἀνυπόδετον ἵτησι πρὸς δυσμὰς ἀφορῶντα, &c. 23 Ibid. p. 253.

24 Vicecom. de Ritib. Bapt. lib. 2. cap. 20. p. 311.

Vow or covenant of

their baptism, was a of obedience to Christ, which the obedience to Christ. Greeks call, ovvráσoto0a Xos, giving themselves up to the government and conduct of Christ. This was always an indispensable part of their obligation, before they could be admitted to the ceremony of regeneration. They first renounced the devil, and then immediately promised to live in obedience to the laws of Christ. Some indeed in St. Austin's time pleaded hard for an exemption in this particular. They were willing to make a profession of faith in Christ, but not of universal obedience; and yet would impudently pretend to demand baptism of the church, notwithstanding their incorrigible temper. Against whom he wrote that excellent book, De Fide et Operibus, to show the necessity of good works, as well as faith, to the being of a Christian; where he answers all the objections and arguments they pretended to bring from Scripture: for they pleaded Scripture for their practice. Amongst other things they urged that famous text of St. Paul, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." Upon which they made this perverse comment: That they who built upon this foundation" gold, silver, precious stones, were such as added good works to their faith in Christ; but they who built wood, hay, stubble, were they that held the same faith in unrighteousness and a wicked life. And they imagined, that even these men might be so purged by certain punishments of fire, as to obtain salvation by virtue of the foundation, which they retained. To which St. Austin replies, That if this was true, it were a laudable charity indeed for them to endeavour that all men might indifferently be admitted to baptism, not only adulterers and adulteresses, who pretended false marriages con

25

26

Aug. de Fide et Oper. c. 15. t. 4. p. 30. Quod quidam ita intelligendum putant, ut illi videantur ædificare super hoc fundamentum aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos, qui fidei quæ in Christo est, bona opera adjiciunt: illi autem fænum, ligna, stipulam, qui cum eandem fidem habeant, male operantur. Unde arbitrantur per quasdam pœnas ignis eos posse purgari ad salutem percipiendam merito fundamenti.

26 Ibid. Hoc si ita est, fatemur istos laudabili charitate conari, ut omnes indiscrete admittantur ad baptismum, non solum adulteri et adulteræ, contra sententiam Domini falsas nuptias prætendentes, verum etiam publica meretrices in turpissima professione perseverantes, quas certe nulla etiam negligentissima ecclesia consuevit admittere, nisi ab illa primitus prostitutione liberatas.

trary to the express command of Christ, but also public harlots continuing in the basest of all professions; which yet the most negligent church on earth never pretended to admit to baptism, till they had first forsaken that vile prostitution. They urged further, that to deny wicked men the privilege of baptism, was to root out the tares before the time. To which St. Austin" replies, That this rejection of them from baptism was not rooting out the tares, but rather not sowing them, as the devil did: they did not prohibit any that were willing to come to Christ, but only convinced them by their own confession, that they were unwilling to come to him. And therefore, though these men called it a novel doctrine and practice to reject harlots, and stageplayers, and all that made open profession of such abominable arts, from baptism, yet he tells them this was grounded upon the rules of ancient truth, which manifestly declared, that "they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." And that this was the ancient rule, by which the church proceeded, is evident from all the writers that have spoken of baptism. Justin Martyr, who describes the ceremonies of baptism with the greatest simplicity, says, It was only given to those who, to their confession of faith, added also a promise or vow" that they would live according to the rules of Christianity. And hence came that usual form of words in their profession, Συντάττομαί σοι Χριστέ, I give myself up to thee, O Christ, to be governed by thy laws: which immediately followed the ȧróTağıç, or renunciation of the devil, whose service they forsook to choose a new master; as we find it frequently in St. Chrysostom," St. Basil," St. Cyril of Alexandria, the author of the Apostolical Constitutions, and most of the Greek writers, whose words, as being but one and the same form, I think it needless to repeat upon this occasion. The Latins commonly call it promissum, pactum, and votum, a promise, a covenant, and vow, which names they apply indifferently to all parts of the Christian engagement, as well the renunciation of the devil, as the profession of faith, and obedience to Christ, which do mutually suppose, and are virtually included in one another. For he that renounces the

33

27 Ibid. c. 17. Quando tales ad baptismum non admittimus, non ante tempus zizania evellere conamur, sed nolumus insuper sicut diabolus zizania seminare; nec ad Christum volentes venire prohibemus, sed eos ad Christum venire nolle, ipsa sua confessione convincimus.

28 Ibid. c. 18. Antiquum et robustum morem ecclesia retinet, ex illa scilicet liquidissima veritate venientem, qua certum habet, quoniam qui talia agunt, regnum Dei non possidebunt.

29 Justin. Apol. 2. p. 93. Kai ẞiev outws dúvaodai ὑπισχνῶνται, &c.

30 Chrys. Hom. 21. ad Popul. Antioch. p. 275. Hom. 6. in Colos. p. 1358.

31 Basil. Hom. 13. Exhort. ad Bapt.

32 Cyril. in John xi. 26. 3 Constit. Apost. lib. 7. c. 41.

devil and the world, does thereby profess himself a soldier and servant devoted to Christ. Therefore St. Ambrose, speaking of the renunciation, calls it," a promise, a caution, a hand-writing or bond, given to God, and registered in the court of heaven; because this is a vow made before his ministers, and the angels, who are witnesses to it. Upon which account he says in another place," It is recorded, not in the monuments of the dead, but in the book of the living. St. Austin calls it, a profession" made in the court of angels, and the names of the professors are written in the book of life, not by any man, but by the heavenly powers. St. Jerom $7 styles it, a covenant made with the Sun of righteousness, and a promise of obedience to Christ. And he so speaks of this ceremony, as to show it to be a distinct act from the renunciation, (though they both tended to the same end,) because different rites were used in expressing them. For in renouncing the devil they had their faces to the west, for symbolical reasons which we have heard before; but in making their covenant with Christ they turned about to the east, as an emblem of that light which they received from the Sun of righteousness, by engaging themselves in his service.

Sect. 7.

This vow of obeturning to the east.

dience made by

And why.

This custom of turning about to the east, when they made their profession of obedience to Christ, is also mentioned by St. Ambrose, Gregory Nazianzen, Cyril of Jerusalem, and the author under the name of Dionysius. For which they assign two reasons: 1. Cyril tells his disciples, that as soon as they had renounced the devil, the paradise of God, which was planted in the East, and whence our first parent for his transgression was driven into banishment, was now laid open to them: and their turning about from the west to the east, which is the region of light, was a symbol of this. For the same reason, St. Basil" and some others of the ancients tell us, they prayed toward the east, that they might have their faces toward paradise. The other reason for turning to the east in baptism, was be

Ambros. de Sacrament. lib. 1. c. 2. Respondisti, Abrenuncio: memor esto sermonis tui, et nunquam tibi excidat series cautionis tuæ.-Ubi promiseris considera, vel quibus promiseris: Levitam vidisti, sed minister est Christi. Vidisti illum ante altaria ministrare: ergo chirographum tuum tenetur, non in terra, sed in coœlo.

35 Id. de Initiatis, cap. 2. Tenetur vox tua, non in tumulo mortuorum, sed in libro viventium.

Aug. de Symbolo, lib. 2. c. 1. t. 9. Professi estis renunciare vos diabolo, pompis, et angelis ejus. Videte dilectissimi, quia hanc professionem vestram in curiam profertis angelicam: nomina profitentium in libro excipiuntur vitæ, non a quolibet homine, sed a superiore cœlitus po

testate.

37 Hieron. Com. in Amos vi. 14. In mysteriis primum renunciamus ei qui in occidente est ; et sic versi in orientem, pactum inimus cum sole justitiæ, et ei servituros nos esse promittimus.

cause the east or rising sun was an emblem of the Sun of righteousness, to whom they now turned from Satan: Thou art turned about to the east, says St. Ambrose," for he that renounces the devil, turns unto Christ. Where he plainly intimates with St. Jerom, that turning to the east was a symbol of their aversion from Satan, and conversion unto Christ, that is, from darkness to light, from serving idols to serve him who is the Sun of righteousness and Fountain of light.

Sect. 8. The third thing required of the party

to be baptized, was in the usual words

a profession of faith

of the creed.

Together with this profession of obedience, there was also exacted a profession of faith of every person to be baptized. And this was always to be made in the same words of the creed, that every church used for the instruction of her catechumens. They were obliged to repeat it privately to the catechist, and then again publicly in the church, when they had given in their names to baptism; as I have showed" before. But besides this, they were also obliged to make a more solemn profession of it at the time of baptism, and give distinct answers to the several questions, as the minister propounded them, with relation to the several parts of the creed, which contained the summary of Christian faith. There were some indeed in St. Austin's time, who, as they were for excluding the profession of obedience out of the baptismal vow, so were they for curtailing the profession of faith, and reducing it to one single article, I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. In favour of this, they pleaded the example of Philip baptizing the eunuch upon this short confession," and that saying of St. Paul to the Corinthians, "I determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Yet they durst never proceed so far as to put their designs in practice; for they still continued to make interrogatories about the other articles, as the church always did, concerning the Holy Ghost, the holy church, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the dead, the incarnation of Christ, his passion and death upon

38 Cyril. Catech. Mystagog. 1. n. 6. 39 Basil. de Spir. Sancto, cap. 27.

40 Ambros. de Initiatis, c. 2. Ad orientem converteris. Qui enim renunciat diabolo, ad Christum convertitur. 41 Book X. chap. 2. sect. 10.

42 Aug. de Fide et Oper. cap. 9. Spado, inquiunt, ille quem Philippus baptizavit, nihil plus dixit, quam, Credo Filium Dei esse Jesum Christum. Num ergo placet, ut hoc solum homines respondeant, et continuo baptizentur? Nihil de Spiritu Sancto, nihil de sancta ecclesia, nihil de remissione peccatorum, nihil de resurrectione mortuorum ? &c. Si enim spado cum respondisset, Credo Filium Dei esse Jesum Christum, hoc ei sufficere visum est, ut continuo baptizatus abscederet: Cur non id sequimur, atque auferimus cætera quæ necesse habemus etiam cum ad baptizandum temporis urget angustia exprimere, interrogando ut baptizandus ad cuncta respondeat, etiamsi ea memoriæ mandare non valuit?

the cross, his burial and resurrection on the third day, his ascension, and session on the right hand of the Father: all which were thought so necessary, that the church never omitted them even in clinic baptism, when men were baptized upon a sick-bed: for if they were able to speak, they answered for themselves, as St. Austin says, to every particular interrogation, though they were not able to commit them to memory; and if they were speechless, their sureties or sponsors answered for them, as they did for children, as will be showed in the next chapter. So that one way or other the whole creed was repeated, and every individual article assented to by men at their baptism. And this was always the practice of the church from the very days of the apostles, and in their time also: for though no other article be mentioned in the baptism of the eunuch, but only his believing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, yet, as St. Austin observes in the same place," the Scripture, in saying, Philip baptized him, is to be understood as meaning that all things were fulfilled, which use to be observed in baptism, though, for brevity's sake, they be not mentioned. And indeed in all the accounts we have of baptism in ancient writers, there is express mention of this profession, either to believe the doctrines of Christianity in general, as they are delivered in Scripture, or as they are briefly summed up in the articles of the creed. Justin Martyr" says, Before men were regenerated, they must both profess to believe the truth of those things which they had been taught, and also promise to live answerable to their knowledge. Cyprian particularly" mentions the use of the creed in baptism, and specifies in several of the interrogatories that were made in reference to the particular articles of it; as, Whether they believed eternal life, and remission of sins in the holy church? which were always the concluding articles of the creed. And in another place he speaks both of these, and the articles relating to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as interrogatories used in baptism both by the catholic church," and

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the Novatians. For however they differed in the sense of some of the articles, yet they both agreed in the same form of interrogatories, and both baptized in the same creed. Tertullian also" specifies the articles relating to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the church, as part of the interrogatories of baptism. And Eusebius, reciting the words of the Creed of Cæsarea," says, it was the Creed into which he was baptized. The same use was made of the Nicene Creed, as soon as it was composed, in most of the Eastern churches; or they ordinarily baptized in the profession of that faith, as I have showed in the last book." It were easy here to subjoin many testimonies out of St. Ambrose, St. Jerom, Cyril of Alexandria and Jerusalem, Chrysostom, Nazianzen, Basil, Epiphanius, and Salvian, and the author of the Constitutions: but the matter is so incontestable, that the ancients did never baptize into the profession of any single article, but into a complete and perfect creed, that I think it needless to insist upon the proof of it, whilst there is not any pretence of an exception to be made against it in any public or private baptism whatsoever. There were some circumstances and ceremonies of this confession, which because they added something to the solemn and public solemnity of the action, it will not be improper to mention. As, first, that it was usually done in public before many witnesses. Which was a circumstance grounded upon apostolical practice, and very rarely dispensed with. Primasius deduces it from the example of Timothy, who witnessed a good confession before many witnesses: which he interprets of his profession of faith made at baptism. Which is also the exposition given by Ephrem Syrus. And Pope Leo seems to refer to the same, when he exhorts men to stand firm in that faith, which they confessed before many witnesses; that faith in which they were born again of water and the Holy Ghost, and received the unction of salvation, and the seal of eternal life. It was usual at Rome, St. Austin" tells us, to make this

51

Sect. 9. This confession made in the most

manner.

49 Euseb. Epist. ad Cæsarienses, ap. Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 8. 49 Book X. chap. 4. sect. 17.

30 Primas. in 1 Tim. vi. 12. Confessus bonam confessionem, in baptismo: coram multis testibus, coram sacerdotibus et ministris, atque virtutibus cœlestibus ac divinis.

51 Ephrem. de Pœnitent. cap. 5.

52 Leo, Serm. 4. de Nativ. Domini, p. 17. Permanete stabiles in fide, quam confessi estis coram multis testibus, et in qua renati per aquam et Spiritum Sanctum, accepistis chrisma salutis et signaculum vitæ æternæ.

53 Aug. Confess. lib. 8. cap. 2. Ut ventum est ad horam profitendæ fidei, quæ verbis certis conceptisque memoriter de loco eminentiore in conspectu populi fidelis Romæ reddi solet ab eis qui accessuri sunt ad gratiam tuam, oblatum esse dicebat Victorino a presbyteris, ut secretius redderet, sicut nonnullis qui verecundia trepidaturi videbantur, offerri mos erat illum autem maluisse salutem suam in conspectu

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