ments: and fo on. The union of the foul to the material form must be determined: hence indelicate fcrutinies, and the neceffity of miracles to recall the departed fpirit, and to confine it in the body till the faving benefit is applied. It is very hard to be obliged to work miracles in the eighteenth century. No, the fubject must not be described by a Protestant: custom, fecond nature, may have rendered it innocent to a Catholick, perhaps an act of benevolence: but the world are not all callous, and nature hath begun to rebel against fyftem. The Creator of the universe hath fo wifely constructed society that ills work their own cure. Baptism rose pure in the Eaft: it rolled Weftward diminished in luftre, often beclouded with mifts, and fometimes under a total eclipfe: at length it efcaped the eye, and was loft among attenuated particles, fhades, non-entities, and monsters: then it took a contrary direction, and probably in time it will emerge from every depreffion, and fhine in its original fimplicity and excellence..

CHA P. XXX.

Mifcellaneous Articles nearly or remotely connected with Baptifm.

THE

HERE are two kinds of baptifmal connections, the one natural, the other arbitrary. There is a natural connection between the baptifm of a believer and freedom, as there is between that of a babe and spiritual dominion. This natural union hath been treated of as neceffary to argument, from the nature and fitnefs of things in the chriftian religion to the nature and fitnefs of things in the world. Believers baptifm accords with the nature of man and the happiness of fociety as both are understood in good governments: infant baptism is in perfect harmony with the exercise of tyranny as it is practifed in families where the patria poteftas deprives individuals of religious liberty, and in governments where the people are not allowed to choose their own religion. At prefent arbitrary connections are to be confidered, and chiefly in that community where they were in-vented and practifed, the church of Rome.

A man, who would inveftigate this fubject properly, ought for a moment to turn his eyes from Chriftianity, and fix them on the Roman empire, for the fame reafon that he who is going to account for the mifapplication of an immenfe fortune, ought firft to examine the qualities of the young heir who received it. It fhould be observed, that Rome from its foundation was infpired with a fpirit of dominion; that in procefs of time the fetters,

which the citizens had forged for others, were by a faction faftened on themfelves; that Julius Cæfar had butchered a million of his fellow-creatures to obtain abfolute power; and that, if in the reign of his fucceffor, when Jefus was born, the whole world was at peace, it was the quiet of a prifon where dread forbad resistance, and where prudence preached acquicfcence. When a fucceffion of cruel Emperours caufed Rome to flow with the blood of its inhabitants, and when no man's life was fecure, every one wished to be mafter for his own fafety. Competitors for power divided the empire; Goths and Vandals difmembered it; every little tyrant had Cæfar in his eye, and bifhops in great cities being become by the nature of their office, and by the gifts of their difciples, men of great political confequence, applied, as was natural, all the means in their power to render themselves independent, for the fake of fecuring their own fafety and freedom.

Having furveyed the empire, the eye fhould fix itself fteadily and dif tinctly on that clafs of people, who have been pleased to call themselves THE CHURCH OF ROME; for they were the men, who made the arbitrary connections in queft. This is a most perplexed and intricate subject: but a little cool attention may catch the clue, and that caught, the work is done, for all the reft follows of course.

There are in the new teftament three forts of epiftles. One clafs was written to individuals: as, the prefbyter unto the well-beloved Gaius: the prefbyter unto the elect lady and her children: Paul to Timothy: Paul to Titus: Paul to Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus. The fecond clafs was addreffed to churches: as Paul and Softhenes unto the church of God at Corinth Paul and Timothy unto the church of God at Corinth: Paul and all the brethren with him unto the churches of Galatia: and fo on. The third clafs was addreffed at large to all perfons of a certain defcription: as, to the Hebrews by fome anonymous writer: to the twelve tribes feattered abroad by James: to fuch of the Jewifh tribes as lived difperfedly in Greece by Peter: to fuch among them as had obtained like precious faith with the apostles by the fame Peter: and fo forth. The epistle of Paul to the Romans belongs to the third clafs, and it is addreffed to fuch of the Jews at Rome as had not received any fpiritual gift, and were not eftablished in any form of chriftian communion, although their belief of the prophecies was univerfally known and applauded, and they were called, as all their nation had been by the prophets in the name of God, an holy nation, a peculiar people, and fo on. As for the church at Rome, they affembled at the houfe of Aquila and Prifcilla, and Paul befought thefe Jews to greet them in his name. The firft is the clafs of people, who were out of the fynagogue but not in the church, who had a general knowledge of Chriftianity, but mixed with enthufiaftical ideas and inveterate cuftoms of Judaifm; who, probably, were the true parents of the modern

church

church of Rome, and who, when they got into power, inftead of greeting churches in private houses, fuppreffed them, eftablished their own theology by law, and denominated themfelves THE CHURCH OF ROME. On this subject it may fuffice to hint that by fuch men afterward united with the haughty Romans, the Aaronical fyftem of religion was lifted into a throne, and erected on the ruins of the new teftament, and of the reafon and the rights of mankind.

Unconnected as baptifm may feem to be with all this, it was, however, the chief inftrument of acquiring power, and producing a revolution in favour of pontifical dominion. By this the hierarchy was formed, and by this and not by argument it was chiefly fupported.

BAPTISM CONNECTED WITH THE ROMAN HIERARCHY.

It hath been faid before that in the reign of the Emperour Nero, Plautius Lateranus, who was conful elect, in pure zeal for the liberty of his country, entered into a confpiracy to dethrone the Emperour. The defign was defeated. Plautius was put to death, and the Lateran eftate was confifcated to the crown. Several fucceeding Emperours refided there, as it should feem by fome antiquities found there. The Emperour Conftantine gave bishop Sylvefter this old imperial manfion for a fort of parfonage house, and here, in this remarkable spot, facred to the love of liberty, was the firft artificial baptiftery in Rome erected for the destruction of it (1). Sixty years before, there were forty-four of the Jewish chriftian congregations in Rome (2). Till the time of Sylvefter they had baptized either in private baths, or in fubterranean waters, or in any place without the city. From this period at proper seasons of the year all their Catechumens went to be baptized at the Lateran Baptiftery. The Lateran church foon rose near the Baptistery, as that had done near the bishop's house, and nothing can be more natural than that the other congregations fhould look up to the bishop of the church at the Baptiftery, as a friend to whom they were all obliged; who was the moft proper perfon to be confulted about times and modes of baptifm, adminiftrators of the ordinance, choice of teachers, and regulation of all other ecclefiaftical affairs. In procefs of time what

(1) JOBI LUDOLFI Lexicon. Æthiop. Lond. 1661. pag. 414. Baptifterium, ftagnum, pifcina, ubi homines folent baptizari....NARDIN. ut fup. Pulchrum illud Baptifterium, cui S. Johannis in fonte nomen: nec atrium, nec balneum iftius palatii privatum fuit, (quamquam forma ædificii ab hoc non abhorret) fi quidem Anaftafius....expreffiffimis verbis baptifterium illic a Conftantino extructum dicit, cujus formam, quam et hodieque habet, fufe defcribit....Quare et baptifterium et ecclefiad extra palatium ædificata, quod inter baptifterium illud et mænia urbis fuit, tam certum mihi videtur, quam quod certiffimum....Vid. OLAI BORRICHII Rom. facies Cap. iv. (2) CORNELII Papa Epift. iii. In hac ecclefia prefbyteros quadraginta fex, &c. An. 251.

convenience and perhaps confcience had begun, cuftom established as laws neceffary to the well-being of the fociety. The bishop of St. John at the Baptiftery feemed a common parent to all, who were born again of water and the fpirit on his premifes, and he retains the title of holy father to this day. In publick meetings the arm chair was naturally given to him. The other teachers in the city neceffarily on their jewifh principles ranked below him; at his decease they complimented themselves by paying him due honours; and as the peace of all their churches depended on it, they interefted themselves in the choice of a fucceffor.

One of the strongest prejudices of unbelievers against Christianity is : that the monstrous fyftem of Popery grew out of it. This, however, is a fallacy. Had the church of Rome proceeded from the house of Aquila, the argument might have fome force: but if it proceeded from the unembodied Jews before mentioned, the prejudice falls to the ground. The hierarchy was formed long before Conftantine established it, and the fortyfour city congregations, defcribed by Cyprian fixty years before, were all in union with one high prieft, and fubje& to as much controul as government would permit (3). Their ecclefiaftical polity had divided the city into regions. Their titular churches had been inftituted for baptism and the burial of the dead (4). There were real chriftian churches in the city, with whom they held no communion, and whom they perfecuted as far as they could. Conftantine only brought the great faction into publick: they fuppreffed the reft (5). This period of the papal history is fo confused with fables, and of fo little confequence to Proteftants, that it is not worth while to unravel it, and reduce it to precifion. Two or three hints relative to ecclefiaftical antiquities may ferve. Pope Sylvefter dedicated the first publick edifice of the party at Rome on the ninth of November. It is obferved as a festival to this day (6). As this was at the old Lateran palace

(3) MABILLONII Muf. Ital. Tom. 2. In Ord. Rom. Comment. Cap. iii. De antiquis bafilicis ac titulis urbis, de diaconis, et de feptem regionibus ecclefiafticis.

(4) Duas ob caufas tituli illi inftituti fuerunt, nempe propter baptifmum, et pænitentiam corum, qui ex paganis ad fidem chriftianam convertebantur, et propter fepulturas martyrum, ut loquitur Anaftatius in Marcello papa xxxv. qui xxv. titulos in urbe conftituiffe dicitur, quafi diæcefes.

(5) Honorius Auguftus, in refcripto ad Symmachum præfectum adverfus Eulalium, diftinguit "titulos et loca, quæ conventu celebri frequentantur:" et ante eum Arcadius, cum lege lata hæreticis omnia urbis loca interdicit, "five fub ecclefiarum nomine," inquit, "teneantur five quæ diaconica appellantur, vel etiam decanica:" ubi quid decanicorum vocabulo intelligat, non fatis conftat: nam hoc loco, ut alicubi alias, carceres fignificari haud fimile veri eft. OPTATUS Lib. vi. Agens de bafilicis, quæ Romæ exftabant tempore perfecutionis Diocletiani, quo tempore Macrobius Donatifta illuc acceffit; quadraginta et amplius ibidem fuiffe tradit bafilicas, ad quas accedere non permittebantur Donatifte, inter quadraginta, et quod excurrit, bafilicas locum ubi colligerent non habebant.

(6) Miffal. Rom. Nov. ix. Dedicatio Bafilica Salvatoris.

it

it was with propriety called the palace of the Saviour; Bafilica Salvatoris: that addition to, or that room of the old imperial manfion which was fet apart for the worship of Chrift. Hence, probably, came the name of cathedral churches, each is called bafilica, a palace: right at the Lateran, and with a few exceptions, of which Canterbury is one, wrong every where elfe. Such as were called fo before were allegorically named from Solomon's temple. At the fame time, to diftinguish the place fet apart for the worship of Jefus from others dedicated to pagan deities, Sylvefter put up either a ftatue or a painting of Jefus. The temples of other city gods were thus diftinguifhed. Perhaps this, which at firft was a mere fign, was the true origin of pictures, images, and all ecclefiaftical idolatry (7). Although the Catholicks boast of the grandeur of the first Lateran church, yet, it feems, the moft facred piece of furniture was a wooden table, which, however, they called an altar, and agreably to this Jewish idea, they denominated the men who officiated there Levites (8).

The fame effects, which the baptiftery had produced at Rome, followed in all other cities, where it was erected. There was one, and but one in Venice, Naples, Florence (9), Pisa, Bologna, Viterbo, Milan, Modena, Verona, Ravenna, Aquileia, and many other cities. Some have only one to this day, and the priests of other churches in the fame cities cannot baptize in their own fonts, till they fetch a little water from that in the cathedral to mix with their own, in order to give validity to the baptifm. This is the practice in the diocefe of Milan. In all these places the priest of the congregation that claimed the baptiftery became a prelate, the other priests in the city his clergy, and fome of them were called his cardinal priests, and deacons, chiefly because they affifted him to adminifter

(7) Breviar. Rom. Antwerpie MDCLXXXIII. pag. 1080. Lectio. v. Sed ubi Conftantinus Imperator per Baptifmi facramentum fanitatem falutemque confecutus eft, tum primum lege ab eo lata conceffum eft toto orbe terrarum, Chriftiani ut Ecclefias ædificarent: quos ille non folum edicto, fed etiam exemplo ad facram ædificationem eft cohortatus. Nam et in fuo Lateranenfi palatio Ecclefiam Salvatori dedicavit, & ei continentem Bafilicam nomine fancti Joannis Baptiftæ condidit coloco, quo ipfe Baptizatus a fancto Silveftro, a lepra mundatus eft: quam idem Pontifex confecravit quinto Idus Novembris: cujus confecrationis memoria celebratur hodierno die, quo primum Romæ publice Ecclefia confecrata eft, et imago Salvatoris in pariete depicta populo Romano apparuit.

JOHANNIS Diac. Lib. De Eccles. Lateranenfi Prolog. De Sanctis Sanctorum. Et eft illa ufque hodie celeberrima festivitas in urbe, in qua prima ecclefia publice confecrata eft, et imago Salvatoris infixa parietibus, primum vifibilis omni populo Romano apparuit. Infcribitur etiam Dedicatio Bafilicæ Salvatoris.

(8) Ibid.

(9) ONUPHRII PANVINII de præcip. arb. Rom. bafilic. Cap. De baptifter. Lateran....ENCYCLOPEDIE. Baptiftere. Il n'y eut d'abord des baptifteres que dans les villes feules epifcopales.