II.

LECT. His body was bathed with the dew, because he had already seen the fire quenched by dew, and believed not. And Song 27. what happened? After these things, he saith, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured Him that liveth Dan. 4, for ever. When, therefore, he perceived the Most High, and offered up sounds of thanksgiving to God, and came to feel grief for what he had done, and learnt his own weakness, then God restored to him the honour of the kingdom.

32.

(12.)

19. What then? Hath He given Nebuchadonosor, after such acts, pardon and the kingdom, on his confession, and shall He not give to thee on repenting the forgiveness of sins, and the kingdom of heaven, if thy life be in accordance? The Lord is loving to men, and swift to pardon, slow to vengeance; let no one then despair of his own salvation. Peter, the chiefest and first of the Apostles, before a little maid thrice denied the Lord; but when remorse touched him he wept bitterly; and to weep shews a heartfelt penitence. Wherefore, not only received he forgiveness for the denial, but was spared his Apostolic dignity.

20. Having then, brethren, many ensamples of men who have sinned, and repented, and been saved, do ye also heartily make your confession to the Lord: that ye may both receive the pardon of your past sins, and be counted worthy of the heavenly gift, and inherit the heavenly kingdom with all the Saints in Christ Jesus; to whom is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

LECTURE III.

ON HOLY BAPTISM.

ROMANS vi. 3, 4.

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by Baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

11.

LET the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, for those Ps. 96, who are to be sprinkled with hyssop; to be cleansed with the invisible hyssop, by His power, who at His passion received the hyssop and the reed. Let the Heavenly Powers rejoice, and let the souls now to be joined to their Invisible Spouse, get ready. For there is the voice of one crying in the Is.40, 3. wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord. For this is no light matter, no ordinary and chance union according to the flesh: but the All-searching Spirit's election that is of faith. For the world's espousals and arrangements are not always 1 Cor. made with judgment; but wealth or beauty forthwith attracts 11, 10. the bridegroom; here it is not beauty of person, but the soul's clear conscience, not the condemned mammon, but the soul rich in seriousness.

23.

2. Yield then, O ye children of righteousness, to John's persuasion, exhorting you, and saying, Make straight the John 1, way of the Lord. Remove all blocks and stumbling-stones, that ye may hold straight on unto life eternal. Make ready the chambers of the soul, purifying them through faith unfeigned, for the reception of the Holy Ghost. Begin to wash your robes through penitence, that when summoned to the bride-chamber ye may be found clean. For the Bridegroom invites indeed all without conditions, because His grace is lavish, and the voice of His loud-sounding Heralds brings

12.

21.

III.

26 The Water of Baptism has in it a power of cleansing the soul.

LECT. together all; but ever afterwards He is separating between those who have come in to the figurative marriage-feast. O Mat. 22, may none of those now enrolled hear those words, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding-garment? Mat. 25, But may you all hear it said, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Hitherto thou hast stood without the gate; may Cant. 1, you all be able to say, The King hath brought me into His Is. 61, chambers. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for He hath 10.Sept. clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered

4.

27.

me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with Eph. 5, her jewels: so that all your souls may be found not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. I say not, before you have received the gift; (if so, why should you be now called to the remission of sins?) but so that, on its being given, your conscience being found blameless, may keep pace with it.

(2.)

3. This is in truth a serious matter, brethren, and you must approach it solemnly. You are, each of you, on the point of being presented to God, before innumerable hosts of Angels: the Holy Ghost is on the point of setting a seal on your souls: ye are coming for enlistment under the Great King. Make ready therefore; prepare, not by wearing robes of shining whiteness, but arraying the soul with the devoutness of a clear conscience. Regard the Sacred Laver not as simple water; regard rather the spiritual grace given with the water. For as the sacrifices at the altars, being by nature without meaning, by invocation of the idols become polluted, so contrariwise, plain water, after the invocation of the Holy Ghost, and of Christ, and of the Father, gains a sanctifying power.

4. For whereas man's nature is twofold, soul and body, twofold also is his cleansing; the spiritual for the spiritual, the material for his body. The water cleanses his body, the Heb. 10, Spirit seals his soul: that being by the Spirit sprinkled in heart, and washed in body with pure water, we may draw near to God. Now then that thou art to descend into the waters, consider not the bare element; look for its saving power by the operation of the Holy Ghost; for without the

22.

Symbolical use of water in the Old Testament.

27

two thou canst not be made perfect. This is not my word, but the Lord Jesus Christ's, who has the power to do it; He saith, Except a man be born again, and he enlarges, of water Joh.3,3. and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Neither he who is baptized with water, without the privilege of the Spirit, hath the gift entire; nor be he ever so virtuous in his deeds, shall he enter into the kingdom of heaven, except with the seal vouchafed through water. A bold word, but it is not mine; Jesus hath uttered it; and here is the proof of it from Holy Scripture. Cornelius was a just man; he was Acts 10. honoured with visions of Angels; he had raised his prayers and alms in the sight of God, as a goodly monument in the heavens. Peter came, and the Spirit was poured on them that believed, and they spake with other tongues, and prophesied. Yet after the gift of the Spirit, the Scripture saith, that Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ: that the soul having been regenerated through their faith, the body also, by means of the water, might share the gift a.

5. And if any one is anxious to know, why the gift is given through water and not through some other element, let him take up Holy Scripture, and he shall learn. For water is a noble thing, and, of the world's four visible elements, the most beautiful. Heaven is the abode of Angels, and the heavens are of the waters: earth is the place of men, and the earth is of the waters: and before all the six days fashioning of creation, the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters. Gen. 1, Water was the beginning of the world: the Jordan was the 2. beginning of the Gospel preaching. Rescue from Pharaoh came to Israel through the sea: rescue from sins to the world through the Laver of water by the word of God. Where there Eph. 5, is a covenant with any, there also is water: after the flood, a covenant was made with Noe: a covenant with Israel from Mount Sina; but with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop. Heb. 9, Elias is received up, but not without water: for first he 19. crosses Jordan, then horses carry him to heaven. The highpriest first bathes, and then burns incense: for Aaron first

a S. Cyril considers that Cornelius and his friends were regenerated, as the Apostles were, apart from Baptism; as

August. Serm. 269. n. 2. and Chrysost.
in Act. Apost. Hom. 25. seem to do.

26.

3.

1.

III.

28 John,the greatestof Prophets,dispensed pardon through water.

LECT. bathed, and then was made high-priest; for how might he intercede for the rest, who had not yet been cleansed by water? Moreover the Laver, set apart within the Tabernacle, was an emblem of Baptism.

11.

(3.)

6. Baptism is the end of the Old Testament, and the beginning of the New. For John who began it, than whom was not one greater among those born of women, was the Mat. 11, end of the Prophets; for all the Law and the Prophets were until John. Moreover, he was the first-fruits of the GospelMark 1, state, for it is said, The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, &c. and then, John was in the desert baptizing. You may instance indeed Elias the Tishbite, who was taken to heaven, yet is not greater than John. Enoch was translated, yet he is not greater than John. Moses was the greatest lawgiver, and the Prophets are all wonderful men, yet not greater than John. I do not venture to compare prophet with prophet: but their Master and ours, the Lord Mat.11, Jesus, hath declared; Among those that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John. Not" among those born of virgins," but born of women. The comparison is between the chief servant, and his fellow-servants: for the Son's preeminence and grace over the household is beyond all comparison. Seest thou how great a man God hath chosen to be the first minister of this grace? a man possession-less and solitary, yet not a misanthrope; eating locusts, and pluming his soul for heaven; feasting on honey, and speaking what is sweeter and more wholesome; clad in camel's hair, and shewing in himself what an ascetic's life should be: who also while yet borne in his mother's womb, was sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Jeremiah was sanctified, but he prophesied not in the womb: only John, while yet unborn, leaped for joy: and though he saw not with the eyes of the flesh, knew his Master by the Spirit: for since great was the grace of Baptism, great must needs be its minister.

5.

(4.)

7. He began to baptize in Jordan, and all Jerusalem went Mat. 3, out to him, enjoying the first-fruits of Baptism: for the prerogative in all good things was in Jerusalem. But, men of Jerusalem, observe how they that went out were baptized of him confessing their sins, saith he. First they shewed their wounds, then he applied the remedies, and gave to