they meant Salvation; not recollecting that the natives had taken the word from the Romans, who never had any idea of falvation in his fenfe of it, but who all knew, even the meaneft foldier, what votive offerings pro falute meant. Not being aware of the first reafon of baptizing pro falute, and the vague meaning of the word efcaping his notice, he faid the baptifm of infants was a cuftom. So far he might be right in fome fenfe as it regarded the back-fettlers: but when he affirmed it was derived from the apoftles he was wrong, for it was not a cuftom in any other part of the world. Whether Auftin deferves any apology for the errour may be a queftion to fuch as know the man. Some of his contemporaries did not believe him, affert what he would, without great caution. "He faid, he had been a Manichean. No, faid fome Manicheans, you never was. He faid, his converfion was of God. No, replied the Manicheans: it was of fear of perfecution, and covetoufnefs, of honour and power. Lay afide, faid they, your punick faith cease to utter falfhoods: how can a Carthagirian be faved? Can he make the gofpel fay, bread is the way that leadeth to life (6) ?”

It must not be omitted, that this firft law for the baptifm of babes was fo little known, and of fo little account, that for ages it fell into oblivion, and learned antiquaries among the Catholicks are not able to fatisfy one another about the meaning of the words Concilium Milevitanum. They agree that fome bifhops, fomewhere, in the time of fome pope, met and made canons, or, in ecclefiaftical ftyle, held a council, and conftituted themselves a legiflative body for the whole Chriftian world: but, when the question is put, who were they that prefumed to do fo? One fide anfwers: "The bifhops of Africa, for Milevitanum means Mela." An oppofite class replies: "No fuch thing; Milevitanum concilium fignifies a council held in the ifle of Malta (7)." Men of great literary

(6) SECUNDINI Manichæi Epift. ad Aug. Depone Punicæ gentis perfidiam.. Noli his mendaciis te excufare.. Illud vero tacere non poffum tuæ patientiffimæ Sanctitati; vifus enim mihi es pro certo fic eft, te nunquam fuiffe Manichæum.. Tua fcripta perlucent eloquentia. Hanc fi voluiffes veritati concordare, magnum utique nobis extitiffet ornamentum. . In medium folis ac lunæ inventus es accufator. Quis igitur tibi patronus erit ante juftum tribunal judicis, cum et de fermone, et de opere cæperis te tefte convinci?.. Quis Punicum falvabit? an emendatum in evangelio eft, quod fpatiofa via non deducit in interitum?..Ego nifi tuam divinam noffem patientiam..nunquam taliter fcripfiffem.

(7) LAUR. SURII Concil. Milev. Tom. i. Plerique omnes viri docti arbitrantur celebratum incivitate Melita, quam vulgo Maltam dicunt, et in ejufdem nominis fita, ab invictiffimo Imperatore Carolo v. poft expugnatum a Turcicis armis Rhodum, militibus S. Joannis tradita.......... ROCCHI PIRRI Sicil. Sacr. Tom. iii. Panormi 1641. Notit. Septem Eccles. Melitens. In noftra Melita hoc concilium celebratum fuiffe affirmant. Abbas Maurolycus, et F. Jo. Quintin Cappell nationis Galliæ, ordinis Hierofol. ii. J. D. F. Paulus de Roffo ejufdem ordinis.... Attamen irridet etiam hos fautores noftra Melita Jacobus Bofius in fua hift. relig. Hieros....F. BALDUINI in Optat. not. Errant vehementer, qui et noftrum hunc operatum cum illis fuperioribus, aut Milevium feu Milevitanam ejus civitatem, vel cum Melitena Armenia metropoli, vel cum Melita infula confundunt, ut quiddam magni etiam nominis, ut eruditi viri exiftimaverunt. confideration

confideration arrange themfelves with both parties, and each produces reafons and etymologies, and fo on. A Proteftant, like the fpectator, when Sir Roger de Coverly infifted on his opinion whether the daubing on the fign-poft were a portrait of his worship or of a Saracen, pofes his countenance in the best manner he can, and replies, that much may be faid on both fides (8)."

com

Whether this council be a forgery or not it is dated in the council books four hundred fixteen, and in four hundred twenty-nine the Vandals fubverted the Catholick dominion in Africa, for this church, this orthodox church, this glory of all the orthodox from that day to this prefent time, this church was built upon the fand, and when the Vandals entered the country the priests who fhuddered at the name of an Arian army, ran away, the people had no reafons themfelves for being Trinitarians, and in lefs than one year of all this national church, or, as their hiftorians fpeak, of all the innumerable churches of the orthodox only three remained in all Africa (9). Salvian truly fays, they had only the appearance of Chriftians, and hardly that. Other nations, fays he, have fome good qualities to abate the horrour of their crimes: but Africans are nothing but vice. Whatever he meant by the appearance of Chriftians, even that vanifhed when the Vandals came, and the laws for orthodox fayings and infant-baptifm fled like a dream.

This law of Auftin therefore could have no force longer than the fpace of thirteen years even in Africa and that only with the orthodox, and it is very queftionable whether any regard was paid to it in that time except in cafes of danger of death, for when the bifhops and faints decamped, and the people came down to fee the parade of their martyrs going on board a fhip, it is faid, "Some brought wax tapers to grace the proceffion, others threw their infants on the ground to be fanctified by their bleffed fteps, the company fet up a wailing, fome cried, to whom do you commit the care of us now you are going away to receive your crowns? Who will baptize these infants at Eafter when you are gone? Who will hear confeffions? Who will appoint penance? O miferable people that we are, who but you can give us abfolution? You have power to bind and loofe, and whatsoever you bind or loofe on earth is loofed or bound in heaven!"

(8) N. 122.

(9) JOHAN. De Ragufio Orat. hab. in Concil. Conftan. Doctores antiqui, præferendi funt modernis doctoribus, præcipue quatuor doctores, quos tanquam quatuor columnas fuftentantes ecclefiam catholicam in veritate fidei et doctrinæ catholica ecclefia recipit, et veneratur, videlicet, Auguftinum, Hieronymum, Ambrofium, Gregorium. Inter quos Auguftinus præcellit ingenio, et excellentiffimus habetur præferenda eft igitur auctoritas fua in expofitione catholicæ veritatis omnibus doctoribus modernis.

POSSIDIUS vix tres fuperftites videbat Auguftinus ex innumerabilibus ecclefiis.

It should feem by this that the Eafter baptism of boys continued to be practifed after the promulgation of Auguftine's canon, and certain it is, it was practifed in other countries by the Catholicks many centuries after this time but it is very probable fome vagabond African monks paffed over into Spain, and the reader will hear of them in the next chapter but

one.

CHA P. XXIV.

The Reduction of Baptifm in the East, from Men to Minors, and from Minors to Babes.

IT

is a cruel violence that fyftem hath offered to truth. True hiftory fhews that in things non-effential there hath always been variety of fentiment and diverfity of practice among Chriftians, but the papal fyftem having afferted the fupremacy of the bishop of Rome, it hath been thought neceffary to reprefent all Chriftians as one corporation, under one univerfal bishop, and his code of law as the practice of the whole world. This is not true, for many centuries there was no fuch being upon earth as an universal bishop, no fuch thing as univerfal law, and no mention of uniformity of faith and manners. If a man would form, for inftance, a juft notion only of baptifm, he must not reafon from the laws of one country to the practice of another, but he muft take each apart, as will appear clearly by examining baptifm in four points of view. New-teftament-baptifm is the baptifm of men and women....Egyptian-baptifm is paido-baptifm, or the baptifm of minors....Jerufalem-baptifm is the baptifm of Catechumens....and late Greek-baptifm is the baptism of little ones.

NEW-TESTAMENT-BAPTISM, OR THE BAPTISM OF

MEN AND WOMEN.

The baptifm of the new teftament is the principal object of attention to a confiftent Chriftian: it is even the fole ftandard of his practice. There the ordinance appears along with the perfons of men and women. One verfe of the hiftory of the church of Samaria, which was congregated by Philip the deacon, is full and exprefs, and may ferve for the whole. "When the Samaritans believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jefus Chrift, they

were baptized, both men and women (1)." This was exactly conformable to the command, and the example of Jefus, whofe difciples they were: to his command, teach all nations baptizing them (2): and to his example, for he was at man's eftate when he went to be baptized, being about thirty years of age (3). This is a plain path, free from every difficulty.

EGYPTIAN-BAPTISM, OR THE BAPTISM OF MINORS.

Origen was a native of Alexandria. He flourished in the third century. He was a man of fober morals: but he was an eccentrical genius, and his theological fpeculations were the moft wild and extravagant in the world. Two forts of his works remain: the one genuine Greek fragments: the other pretended Latin verfions of the remainder of his Greek originals, which are loft. The genuine Greek works contain nothing in favour of infant-baptifm, but, on the contrary, baptism is always spoken of in relation to the adult (1). The fpurious Latin pieces do fpeak in favour of infant-baptifm, but they fcent ftrongly of forgery, and feem to have been written after the Pelagian controverfy (2). Perhaps the vague fenfe of the word may have been the innocent, or it may be the guilty, caufe of these apparent contradictions. Even Dr. Wall expofes the partiality of Sir Peter King for quoting a mutilated paffage from the genuine works of Origen in favour of the baptifm of babes, and proves by quoting the whole paffage that Origen spoke of such babes as the apostle Peter had addreffed in his firft epiftle, new-born babes, laying afide all evil fpeakings, and defiring the fincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby (3). Indeed, it is impoffible to quote any thing conclufive in favour of modern infant-baptifm from Origen, becaufe as he held the pre-existence of human fouls, fo he affirmed, that "fome fouls before they were born into the world, and before they were united to the body, had heard, and had been. taught of the father (4).”

Is there then no foundation for the common tradition of the fathers, that Origen favoured infant-baptifm? It must be granted the fathers are miferable evidence of the truth of facts, as well as incompetent judges of right but it doth not follow that they never speak truth. Eufebius, who was a profeffed admirer of Origen, garnifhed his hiftory with many

(1) Acts viii. 12.

(2) Mat. xxviii. 19.

(3) Luke iii. 21. 23.

(1) Dr. GALE's reflections on Mr. WALL's hift. of infant-baptifm. Let. xiii.

(2) TOMBES Examen.

(3) Dr. WALL's Hift. of infant-baptifm. Part i. Chap. v. S. 9....GALE. Let. xiii....1. Pet. ii. 1. 2, &c.

(4) ORIG. Com, in Johan...GALE. Let. vii. JOHN vi, 45.

incredible

incredible tales: but he related fome facts very likely to be true He fays, Origen was Catechift of the ecclefiaftical fchool at Alexandria: this is a true fact. Six of his difciples, male and female fuffered death in time of perfecution: this is poffible. When the fchool was broke up, fome were Catechumens, and others had been lately baptized this is very likely to be true: he adds, Origen accompanied his pupils to the place of execution: this is very doubtful (5). He fubjoins, that Potamiana promised one Bafilides a Pagan officer of the guards, that fhe would pray for him after her martyrdom: this is extremely fufpicious. He proceeds to relate, that the faid virgin martyr three days after her death did appear to Bafilides, did inform him that her interceffion had prevailed, did put a coronet on his head, as a token that he should foon obtain the crown of martyrdom; that Bafilides was converted by these means, was committed to prifon for his faith, was baptized by the brethren in prison, and was foon after beheaded; here Eufebius becomes a narrator of old wives fables. The little credit due to his history is due only to fuch parts as are attefted by others more credible than

himself.

One of the Catechifts of this celebrated feminary, the firft Chriftian academy in the world, publifhed a work entitled THE PEDAGOGUE (6). This was Clement the master of Origen. Two forts of masters prefided over the education of young gentlemen (7). Pedotribes formed the body: Pedagogues the mind. Publius Ælius Tertius was one of the first kind: Clement and Origen were of the laft. The Pedagogue of Clement is accounted a valuable monument of Chriftian antiquity. Mr. Du Pin, who moft highly applauded it, and who recommended a French translation of it, advised however, that a tranflator fhould retrench fome parts of it, because they were not fit for every body to read, and that the remaining parts fhould be accommodated to the manners and customs of the present age (8): a very prudent method of tranflating, and that exactly which Ruffinus ufed when he tranflated Origen.

Pedagogy, the subject of the book, is not the discipline of Christian youth, or what would now be called a courfe of academical education: but it is the moral difcipline of Chriftians, men and women, the learned and the ignorant (9). Clement obferves, this was not called Pedagogy, or a difcipline for children, because Christianity was a puerile fcience: on

(5) Hift. Eccles. Lib. vi. Cap. ii. iii. iv.

(6) CLEMENTIS Alexandr. Пadayayos.

(7) See the chap. on Infant-baptifm.

(8) Bibliot. Des Auteurs Eccles. Tom. i. S. Clement. D'Alex.

(9) Lib. i. Cap. v. η παιδαγωγια παιδων εςιν αγωγή....: παιδες ημείς. Cap. vii. τις Παιδαγωγος Και περι της παιδαγωγίας αυτου. Oftendimus pueros [παιδας] nos omnes quia fcriptura vocamur, nec id folum, fed etiam qui Chrifti fecuti fumus nos infantes [es] dictos effe allegoriæ.

the