lasting salvation to all them that believe these words of Christ, and promise of God, which are written in the last chapter of Saint Mark, his Gospel, He that will believe and be baptized shall be saved, but he that will not believe shall be damned.'"-p. 13. And again; "But after that our sins in Baptism be forgiven us, and we believe the promise of God, and so by our faith be justified, then our consciences be quieted, and we be glad and merry, trusting assuredly that God is no more angry with us for our former offences, and that we shall not be damned for the same." And again; p. 9. "The wonderful work of God is not in the water, which only washeth the body, but God, by his omnipotent power, worketh wonderfully in the receivers thereof, scouring, washing and making them clean inwardly, and, as it were, new men, and celestial creatures."-Answer to Gardiner,1 Fol. 1551, p. 74. And again; "As in Baptism we must think that, as the Priest putteth his hand to the child outwardly and washeth him with water, so must we think that God putteth to His hand inwardly, and washeth the infant with His Holy Spirit; and moreover that Christ himself cometh down upon the child, and apparelleth him with His own self." -Ibid, 444. And again; "Learn these things diligently, and thank God, who, in Christ, hath called you to be partakers of so large and ample benefits. And express Baptism in your life, and Baptism shall be the greatest comfort to you, both in your life time, and also in your death bed. For by Baptism we be grafted into the death of Christ, wherefore sin, death or hell, cannot hurt us, but we shall overcome all these things by faith, as Christ himself overcame them. And so by this new birth we shall enter into the kingdom of God and life everlasting. The which God grant us all. Amen."-Of Baptism, p. 14. 1 Cranmer's latest work, so that this is, as it were, his dying testimony. So it was understood by Bishop Hooper; "Baptism is an outward washing done with water, thereby signifying an inward washing of the Holy Ghost, wrought through the blood of Christ.--Articles upon the Creed, lix. edit. 1583. 66 And again; I believe, also, that Baptism is the entry of the Church, a washing into a new birth, and a renewing of the Holy Ghost, whereby we do forsake ourselves, the devil, the flesh, sin, and the world. For being once rid of the old man, with all his concupiscences, we are clothed with the new man which is in Jesus Christ, in righteousness and holiness, and with Him we die and are buried in his death, to the end that with Christ we may rise from death to the glory of the Father. And even likewise, being thus new born, we should walk in newness of life."—Ibid. So it was understood by Dr. Lancelot Ridley; "Here (Ephesians v. 26,) is shewed how Christ hath purged his church truly in the fountain of water, by his word, although God of his mere mercy and goodness, without all man's deserts or merits, only for Christ's sake hath washed and purged man from sin; yet He useth a mean, by the which he cleanseth man from sin, which is Baptism, in water, by the word of God; and so in Baptism are our sins taken away, and we from sin purged, cleansed, and regenerated in a new man, to live an holy life, according to the Spirit and will of God. It is not the water that washes us from sin, but Christ, by His word and His Spirit, given to us in Baptism, that washes away our sins, that we have of Adam, by carnal nature."-Commentary on the Ephesians, in Richmond's Fathers of the English Church, ii. And again; Except a man be born again, of the Holy Ghost and of water he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. To be born again of the Holy Ghost and of water, is to be christened, as Paul sheweth to Titus (iii) when Baptism is called the fountain of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Children, therefore, must be christened, if they shall enter the kindom of heaven, and be partakers of life celestial."—Ibid. So it was understood by Bishop Jewel; "St. Chrysostom saith, Plain or bare water worketh not in us; but when it hath received the grace of the Holy Ghost, it washeth away our sins.' So saith St. Ambrose also, The Holy Ghost cometh down and halloweth the water;' and 'There is the presence of the Trinity.' So saith St. Cyril, as water thoroughly heated with fire, burneth as well as the fire, so the waters that wash the body of him that is baptized are changed into Divine Power by the working of the Holy Ghost.' So saith St. Leo, sometime Bishop of Rome, 'Christ hath given like pre-eminence to the water of Baptism, as He gave to His mother, for that] Power of the Highest, and that overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, which brought to pass that Mary should bring forth the Saviour of the world, hath also brought to pass that the water should bear anew, or regenerate him that believeth.' Such opinion had the ancient learned Fathers and such reverend words they used when they entreated of the sacraments. For it is not man, but God which worketh by them."-Of Sacraments, (Tracts of the Anglican Fathers,) pp. 72. And again; "Christ, saith the Apostle, loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it, by the washing of water through the word.' Again, 'according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of the new birth, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.' For this cause is Baptism called salvation, life, regeneration, and forgiveness of sins, the power of God to resurrection, the image and pledge of the resurrection, and the word of immortality."-p. 78. And again; "Such a change is made in the sacrament of Baptism; through the power of God's working, the water is turned into blood; they that be washed in it, receive the remission of sins; their robes are made clean in the blood of the Lamb. The water itself is nothing; but by the working of God's Spirit, the death and merits of our Lord and Saviour Christ, are thereby assured unto us."-p. 80. And again; "And this much of the sacrament of Baptism, which is the badge and cognizance of every Christian. If any be not baptized, but lacketh the mark of God's fold, we cannot discern him to be one of the flock; if any take not the seal of regeneration, we cannot say he is born the child of God. This is the ordinary way; let us use it, let us not despise, nor be slow to receive the sacraments; they are the means by which God maketh sure his good will towards us.”— p. 83. Such is the teaching of the Homilies; "Insomuch that infants, being baptized, and dying in their infancy, are by this sacrifice washed from their sins, brought to God's favour and made His children and inheritors of His kingdom of heaven. And they which in act or deed do sin after their Baptism; when they turn again to God unfeignedly, they are likewise washed by this sacrifice from their sins, in such sort that there remaineth not any spot of sin, that shall be imputed to their damnation." -First part af the Sermon of Salvation, Oxford, 1832, pp. 25, 26. And again; "We must trust only in God's mercy, and that sacrifice which our High Priest and Saviour Christ Jesus, the Son of God once offered for us upon the cross, to obtain thereby God's grace and remission as well of our original sin in baptism, as of all actual sin, committed by us after baptism, if we truly repent, and turn unfeignedly to him again."-Second part of the same, p. 31. And again; "Our office is not to pass the time of this present life unfruitfully 1 How keenly such reproof as this of Mr. Boardman must have fallen, had they lived to see the day, on Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, Jewel! "One would think to hear them talk, that the New Testament must be a treatise on baptisin-that baptism was the main topic of our Saviour's discourses, and the grand theme of Apostolic preaching—and that the great business of the minister is, not to preach the Gospel, but to administer the ordinances."(p. 59.) It seems trifling to remind Mr. Boardman that one precept of Christ is as good authority as one hundred; that we do not measure the importance of any truth or duty, by the frequency with which it is enjoined in holy scripture; that yet the last words of Jesus upon earth, were the commission to the Apostles, "Go ye and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them," and the first direction of the Apostles, after the Holy Ghost had come on them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." and idly, after that we are baptized or justified, not caring how few good works we do, to the glory of God, and profit of our neighbours: much less is it our office, after that we be once made Christ's members, to live contrary to the same.”—Third part, p. 34. And again; "We be therefore washed in our baptism from the filthiness of sin, that we should live afterward in the pureness of life.”- Sermon of the Passion, p. 377. Such is the teaching of the Articles; "Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession; but rather they be certain sure witnesses and effectual signs of grace and God's good will towards, by the which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him."-xxv. And again; "Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened but it is also a sign of regeneration, or new birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive baptism rightly are grafted into the Church: the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost are visibly signed and sealed: faith is confirmed and grace renewed, by virtue of prayer unto God."-xxvii. Such is the teaching of the Catechism; Question. "Who gave you this name? Answer. My Sponsors in Baptism, wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of Heaven. Q. Dost thou not think that thou art bound to believe and to do, as they have promised for thee? A. Yes, verily; and by God's help so I will, and I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour: and I pray unto God to |
