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post baptismum accipere debent;" "All faithful people ought to receive the Holy Spirit by imposition of the bishop's hands after baptism." Much more to the same purpose is to be read, collected by Gratian "de Consecrat. dist. 4. Presbyt. et de Consecrat. dist. 5. Omnes Fideles, et ibid. Spiritus Sanctus."

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St. Jerome brings in a Luciferian asking, why he that is baptized in the church, does not receive the Holy Ghost, but by imposition of the bishop's hands? The answer is, "Hanc observationem ex Scripturæ auctoritate ad sacerdotii honorem descendere," "This observation for the honour of the priesthood did descend from the authority of the Scriptures;" adding withal, "it was for the prevention of schisms, and that the safety of the church did depend upon it. Exigis ubi scriptum est? If you ask where it is written,' it is answered, 'In Actis Apostolorum,' 'It is written in the Acts of the Apostles.' But if there were no authority of Scripture for it, 'totius orbis in hanc partem consensus instar præcepti obtineret,' 'the consent of the whole Christian world in this article ought to prevail as a commandment."" But here is a twofold cord, Scripture and universal tradition; or rather Scripture expounded by a universal traditive interpretation. The same observation is made from Scripture by St. Chrysostom": the words are very like those now recited from St. Jerome's Dialogue, and therefore need not to be repeated.

St. Ambrose calls confirmation "spirituale signaculum quod post fontem superest, ut perfectio fiat," "a spiritual seal remaining after baptism, that perfection be had."-Ecumenius calls it reλstórηra, perfection.'-" Lavacro peccata purgantur, chrismate Spiritus Sanctus superfunditur; utraque verò ista manu et ore antistitis impetramus," said Pacianus bishop of Barcinona: "In baptism our sins are cleansed, in confirmation the Holy Spirit is poured upon us; and both these we obtain by the hands and mouth of the bishop." And again: "Vestræ plebi unde Spiritus, quam non consignat unctus sacerdos " The same with that of Cornelius in the case of Novatus before cited.

Dial. adv. Lucifer.

• Lib. 3. de Sacram. e, 2.

n Homil. 18. in Act. p In Heb. vi.

q Lib, 3. contr. Novat.

I shall add no more, lest I overset the article, and make it suspicious by too laborious a defence: only after these numerous testimonies of the fathers, I think it may be useful to represent, that this holy rite of confirmation hath been decreed by many councils.

The council of Eliberis, celebrated in the time of Pope Sylvester the First, decreed, that whosoever is baptized in his sickness, if he recover, "ad episcopum eum perducat, ut per manûs impositionem perfici possit;" "let him be brought to the bishop, that he may be perfected by the imposition of hands." To the same purpose is the seventyseventh canon: "Episcopus eos per benedictionem perficere debebit,"" The bishop must perfect those, whom the minister baptized by his benediction."

The council of Laodicea decreed ὅτι δεῖ τοὺς φωτιζομένους κατὰ τὸ βάπτισμα χρίεσθαι χρίσματι ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μετόχους εἶναι τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ· “ all that are baptized, must be anointed with the celestial unction, and (so) be partakers of the kingdom of Christ." All that are so, that is, are confirmed; for this celestial unction is done by holy prayers and the invocation of the Holy Spirit: so Zonaras upon this canon: all such who have this unction shall reign with Christ, unless by their wickedness they preclude their own possessions. This canon was put into the code of the Catholic church, and makes the one hundred and fifty-second canon.

The council of Orleans affirms expressly, that he who is baptized, cannot be a Christian (meaning according to the usual style of the church, a full and perfect Christian), “nisi confirmatione episcopali fuerit chrismatus," "unless he have the unction of episcopal confirmation '."

But when the church had long disputed concerning the rebaptizing of heretics, and made canons for and against it, according as the heresies were, and all agreed that if the first baptism had been once good, it could never be repeated; yet they thought it fit that such persons should be confirmed by the bishop, all supposing confirmation to be the perfection and consummation of the less perfect baptism. Thus the first council of Arles" decreed concerning the Arians, that if they had been baptized in the name of the Father,

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1 Habetur apud Gratian. de Consecrat. dist. 5. cap. Jejun.

" Cap. 8.

Son, and Holy Ghost, they should not be rebaptized. "Manus tantùm eis imponatur, ut accipiant Spiritum Sanctum;" that is, "Let them be confirmed, let there be imposition of hands, that they may receive the Holy Ghost." The same is decreed by the second council of Arles * in the case of the Bonasiaci. But I also find it in a greater record, in the general council of Constantinople; where heretics are commanded upon their conversion to be received, "secundûm constitutum officium;" there was 'an office appointed' for it; and it is in the Greek Euchologion, sigillatos, primò scilicet unctos unguento chrismatis,' &c. " et signantes eos dicimus, sigillum doni Spiritus Sancti." It is the form of confirmation used to this day in the Greek church.

So many fathers testifying the practice of the church, and teaching this doctrine, and so many more fathers as were assembled in six councils, all giving witness to this holy rite, and that in pursuance also of Scripture, are too great a cloud of witnesses to be despised by any man that calls himself a Christian.

SECTION IV.

The Bishops were always and the only Ministers of
Confirmation.

SAINT CHRYSOSTOM asking the reason why the Samaritans, who were baptized by Philip, could not from him and by his ministry receive the Holy Ghost, answers, 'Perhaps this was done for the honour of the apostles,' to distinguish the supereminent dignity which they bore in the church from all inferior ministrations: but this answer not satisfying, he adds, "Hoc donum non habebat, erat enim ex septem illis, id quod magis videtur dicendum. Unde, meâ sententiâ, hic Philippus unus ex septem erat, secundus à Stephano; ideo et baptizans Spiritum Sanctum non dabat, neque enim facultatem habebat, hoc enim donum solorum apostolorum erat :" "This gift they had not, who baptized the Samaritans, which thing is rather to be said than the other: for Philip was one

x. Can. 17.

y Can. 7.

2 Homil. 18. in Acta.

of the seven, and in my opinion next to St. Stephen; therefore though he baptized, yet he gave not the Holy Ghost; for he had no power so to do, for this gift was proper only to the apostles." "Nam virtutem quidem acceperant (diaconi) faciendi signa, non autem dandi aliis Spiritum Sanetum; igitur hoc erat in apostolis singulare, unde et præcipuos, et non alios, videmus hoc facere." "The ministers that baptized had a power of doing signs and working miracles, but not of giving the Holy Spirit; therefore this gift was peculiar to the apostles, whence it comes to pass that we see the chiefs in the church, and no other, to do this."

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St. Dionysius says b, Xosía Tov aρxieρéws čora, "There is need of a bishop to confirm the baptized,” αὐτὴ γὰρ ἦν ἡ ἀρχαία συνήθεια, “ for this was the ancient custom of the church:" and this was wont to be done by the bishops, for conservation of unity in the church of Christ,' said St. Ambrose ; "a solis episcopis," "by bishops only," said St. Austin;-for "the bishops succeeded in the place and ordinary office of the apostles," said St. Jerome. And therefore in his dialogue against the Luciferians it is said "that this observation for the honour of the priesthood did descend, that the bishops only might by imposition of hands confer the Holy Ghost; that it comes from Scripture, that it is written in the Acts of the Apostles, that it is done for the prevention of schisms; that the safety of the church depends upon it,"

But the words of Pope Innocentius I. in his first epistle and third chapter, and published in the first tome of the councils, are very full to this particular. "De consignandis infantibus, manifestum est non ab alio quàm ab episcopo, fieri licere: nam presbyteri, licèt sint sacerdotes, pontificatûs tamen apicem non habent: hæc autem pontificibus solis deberi, ut vel consignent, vel Paracletum Spiritum tradant, non solùm consuetudo ecclesiastica demonstrat, verùm et illa lectio Actuum Apostolorum, quæ asserit Petrum et Johannem esse directos, qui jam baptizatis traderent Spiritum Sanctum :" "Concerning confirmation of infants, it is manifest, it is not lawful to be done by any other than by the bishop; for although the presbyters be priests, yet they have not the summity of episcopacy: but that these things are only due to bishops, is not only demonstrated by the custom

- Τοὺς κορυφαίους. b Cap. 5. Eccles. Hier. e.In Heb. vi. q. 44. in N. T.

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of the church, but by that of the Acts of the Apostles, where Peter and John were sent to minister the Holy Ghost to them that were baptized."-Optatus proves Macarius to be no bishop, because he was not conversant in the episcopal office, and imposed hands on none that were baptized. "Hoc unum à majoribus fit, id est, à summis pontificibus, quod à minoribus perfici non potest," said P. Melchiades: "This (of confirmation) is only done by the greater ministers, that is, by the bishops, and cannot be done by the lesser."-This was the constant practice and doctrine of the primitive church, and derived from the practice and tradition of the apostles and recorded in their Acts written by St. Luke. For this is our great rule in this case, what they did in rituals and consigned to posterity is our example and our warranty we see it done thus, and by these men, and by no others, and no otherwise, and we have no other authority, and we have no reason to go another way. The avopes йyouμevo in St. Luke, the κopupało in St. Chrysostom, the πρόεδρος in Philo, and the πρεσβύτατος, ' the chief governor' in ecclesiasticals, his office is τὰ μὴ γνώριμα ἐν τοῖς βίβλοις ávadidáσkev, "to teach such things as are not set down in books;" their practice is a sermon, their example in these things must be our rule, or else we must walk irregularly, and have no rule but chance and humour, empire and usurpation; and therefore much rather, when it is recorded in holy writ, must this observation be esteemed sacred and inviolable.

But how if a bishop be not to be had, or not ready? St. Ambrose is pretended to have answered, " Apud Ægyptum presbyteri consignant, si præsens non sit episcopus," "A presbyter may consign, if the bishop be not present;" and Amalarius affirms, "Sylvestrum Papam, prævidentem quantum periculosum iter arriperet qui sine confirmatione maneret, quantum potuit subvenisse, et propter absentiam episcoporum, necessitate addidisse, ut à presbytero ungeretur," "that Pope Sylvester, foreseeing how dangerous a journey e Epist. ad Episc. Hispan.

d Contr. Parmen. lib. 7.

Voluit Deus dona illa admiranda non contingere baptizatis nisi per manus apostolorum, ut auctoritatem testibus suis conciliaret quàm maximam; quod ipsum simul ad retinendam ecclesiæ unitatem pertinebat: Grotius.-Videtur ergò fuisse peculiare apostolorum munus dare Spiritum Sanctum: Isidor.-Clarius in 8. Actuum Apostolorum.

In Eph. iv.

De Offic. Eccles. cap. 27.

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