because they now professed they were become the children of the light and of the day, and would not return to works of darkness any more; and this as they expected mercy from Christ at the great day. Therefore the white garment was wont to be delivered to them with such a charge as this: "Receive the white and immaculate garment, and bring it forth without spot before the tribunal of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayst have eternal life. Amen."1 From the wearing of these white vestments (as we have observed before) Pentecost (which was one of the two annual times for baptism) came to be called Whitesunday, as also the Sunday after Easter (which was the other time) Dominica in albis, because then they laid this white robe aside; for it was the custom for persons baptized to wear this garment for a whole week after they were baptized, and then to put it off, and lay it up in the church, that it might be kept as an evidence against them, if they violated or denied that faith which they had owned in baptism.2

These were the main and most considerable circumstances wherewith baptism was administered in the primitive church; some whereof were by degrees antiquated and disused. Other rites there were that belonged only to particular churches, and which, as they were suddenly taken up, so 1 were as quickly laid aside: others were added in after-times, till they increased so fast, that the usage and the number of them became absurd and

Gregor. Sacramentar. inter Liturgic. Latinor. tom. ii. p 269; vid. Eucholog. Græc. in Offic. S. Baptism. p. 357. 2 Victor. Utic. de Persecut. Vand. c. iii. fol. 43.

burdensome, as may appear by the office for baptism in the Romish ritual at this day.

As a conclusion to this chapter, I had once thought to have treated concerning Confirmation, which ever was a constant appendage to baptism, and had noted some things to that purpose; but shall supersede that labour, finding it so often, and so fully done by others in just discourses, that nothing considerable can be added to them.' Only I shall give this brief and general account of it. All persons baptized in the ancient church (according to their age and capacity, persons adult, some little time after baptism, children; when arrived to years of competent ripeness and maturity) were brought to the bishop, there further to confirm and ratify that compact which they had made with God in baptism, and by some solemn acts of his ministry to be themselves confirmed and strengthened, by having the grace and blessing of God conferred upon them, to enable them to discharge that great promise and engagement which they had made to God. This was usually performed with the ceremony of unction, the person confirmed being anointed by the bishop, or in his absence by an inferior minister. That confirmation, however, was often administered without this unction, no man can doubt that knows the state of those times; being done only by solemn imposition of the bishop's hands, and by devout and pious prayers, that the persons confirmed might 'grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ,' and be enabled to perform those vows and purposes,

1 Bp. Taylor, Dr. Hammond, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Hanmer, Mr. Daillé.

and that profession of faith which they had before embraced in baptism, and then again owned before the whole congregation. Till this was done, they were not accounted complete Christians, nor admitted to the holy communion; nor could challenge any actual right to those great privileges of Christianity; whence it is that the ancients so often speak of confirmation as that which did perfect and consummate Christians, as being a means to confer greater measures of that grace that was but begun in baptism. Upon all which accounts, and almost exactly according to the primitive usage, it is still retained and practised in our own church at this day and happy were it for us, were it kept up in its due power and vigour. Sure I am, it is too plain that many of our unhappy breaches and controversies in religion do (if not wholly, in a great measure) owe their birth and rise to the neglect and contempt of this excellent usage of the church.

CHAPTER XI.

Of the Lord's Supper, and the administration of it in the ancient Church.

THE holy Eucharist, or Supper of our Lord, being a rite so solemnly instituted, and of such great importance in the Christian religion, had place accordingly amongst the ancients in their public offices and devotions:-in speaking to which I

shall observe much the same method I did in treating concerning baptism; considering the persons, the time, the place, and the manner of its celebration.

The persons administering were the ordinary pastors and governors of the church, those who were set apart for the ministration of holy offices. The institution was begun by our Lord himself, and the administration of it by him committed to his apostles and to their ordinary successors, to the end of the world. We find in Tertullian, that they never received it from any but the hand of the president;' which must either be meant of the particular custom of that church where he lived, or of consecration only. Otherwise the custom was, when the bishop or president had, by solemn prayers and blessings, consecrated the sacramental elements, for the deacons to distribute them to the people, as well to those that were absent as to them that were present; as Justin Martyr expressly affirms, and as the custom generally was afterwards.

For the persons communicating at this sacrament, at first the whole church, or body of Christians, within such a space, that had embraced the doctrine of the Gospel, and been baptized into the faith of Christ, used constantly to meet together at the Lord's table. As Christians multiplied, and a more exact discipline became necessary, none were admitted to this ordinance till they had arrived at the degree of the faithful. Whoever were in the state of the catechumens, i. e. under instruction in order to their baptism, or by reason of heinous

any

Apol. 2, p. 97.

crime under the censures and suspension of the church, and not yet passed through the several stages of the penitents, might not communicate, and were therefore commanded to depart the church, when the rest went to the celebration of the sacrament for looking upon the Lord's supper as the highest and most solemn act of religion, they thought they could never take care enough in the dispensing of it. Accordingly whoever was found guilty of any scandalous fault, was, according to the nature of the offence, debarred the communion a shorter or a longer time, and sometimes all their life, not to be reconciled and taken into the communion of the church, till they had continued their repentance to their death-bed. As for those persons that could not be present, either through distance of place, sickness, or any other just cause, the eucharist was wont to be sent home to them. Some little pieces of the consecrated bread dipped in the sacramental cup, which were usually carried by the deacon or some inferior officer of the church, or in cases of necessity by any other person; as in the case of Serapion, of whom Dionysius of Alexandria relates, that having been all his life a good man, at last lapsed in a time of persecution, and though he oft desired reconciliation, yet none would communicate with him; not long after he was seized upon by a mortal sickness, and deprived of the use of his speech and senses, but coming to himself after four days, he sends his nephew, a little boy, late at night for one of the presbyters to come to him. The minister was at that time sick, but considering the exigence of the case, gives the boy a little piece of the eucharist, bids him to moisten it with a little water, and so