it oftentimes happened, that some of those who were baptized in health, when they afterward fell into sin, were tormented with the unclean spirit returning upon them: whence it was apparent, that the devil was excluded in baptism by the faith of the believer, but if afterward his faith failed, the devil returned to his old possession. From this discourse of Cyprian we learn, not only that energumens in time of extremity were admitted to baptism, but that baptism in such cases was many times a peculiar benefit to them, whilst it delivered them from the possession of unclean spirits, which could not before be cast out by any power of the exorcists, though in those days the power of exorcism was a miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost, SECT. 4.-No Slave to be baptized without the Testimony of his Master. Another observation to be made upon the baptism of adult persons, is in relation to such as were slaves to Christian masters. For we find by the author of the Constitutions under the name of the Apostles, that in the examination of the several qualifications of those that offered themselves to baptism, one part of the inquiry was, whether they were slaves or freemen? if they were slaves to an heathen, they were only taught their obligations to please their master, that the word of God might not be blasphemed; and the master had no further concern in their baptism, as being himself an infidel: but if the master were a Christian, then the testimony of them aster was first to be required' concerning the life and conversation of his slave, before he could be admitted to the privilege of baptism. If he gave a laudable account of him, he was received: if otherwise, he was rejected, till he approved himself to his master. So far in those days it was thought necessary and serviceable to religion to grant Christian masters a power over their slaves, that without their testimony and approbation they could not be ac- ̄ cepted as fit candidates of baptism. Not that this was intended to countenance any tyrannical power in Christian 1 Constit. Apost. lib. viii. c. 32. Ἐὰν πιτὲ δῆλος ᾖ, ἐρωτάσθω ὁ κύριος αὐτῶ, εἰ μαρτυρεῖ αὐτῷ. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ, ἀποβαλλέσθω, ἔως ἄν αὐτὸν ἄξιον ἐπιδειξη τῷ δεσπότῃ. εἰ δὲ μαρτυρεῖ αὐτῷ, προσδεχέσθω. masters, to debar their slaves of baptism, and deny them the privilege and benefits of the Christian religion, which is a piece of barbarous cruelty, and spiritual tyranny over men's souls, unknown to former ages, but the design was to preserve the purity of religion, and keep back hypocritical and profane pretenders from the holy mysteries: the over-hasty admission of whom might prove a scandal and disgrace to the profession, if persons of a doubtful life were indiscriminately and indifferently admitted to the sacred rites of it. This caution wisely lodged an useful power in the hands of Christian masters, which prudence and charity directed them to use soberly to edification and not to destruction. And experience proved it to be an useful rule; for it both made the masters zealous for the salvation of their slaves, as we have seen in the instance of the African Negro mentioned in Fulgentius; and also made the slaves sincere in their professions and pretences to religion, when they knew they could not be accepted as real converts, worthy of baptism, without the corroborating testimony of their masters. There were also laws of state obliging all masters to take care of their families, so far as to see that every individual person, slaves as well as children, were made Christians, and in default of this, some penalties were annexed, depriving the masters of certain privileges in the commonwealth, if they were found either remiss, or acting by collusion in this part of their duty.1 So that all imaginable obligation was laid upon masters, both in point of interest, duty, and charity, to take care of the instruction of their slaves, and bring them with their own testimonials to Christian baptism. SECT. 5.-Yet Baptism to be a voluntary Act, and no one to be compelled by Force to receive it. Yet because baptism was to be a voluntary act in adult persons, some laws were made against compelling any one by force to receive it. In the fourth council of Toledo, a canon was made to this purpose concerning the Jews, who had sometimes been drawn by force to be baptized against See chap. iv. s. 17. their will, and it was ordered by the synod, "that thenceforth no one should be compelled by force to profess the Christian faith for God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth;' for such are not to be saved against their will, but of their own free consent, that the form or method of their justification may be perfect. For as man perished by his own free will, obeying the serpent, so every man is saved, when he is called by the grace of God, by his own voluntary act of faith, and conversion of his own mind: therefore they are not to be compelled by force, but to be persuaded by their own free will to be converted. But as to those who have heretofore been forced to embrace Christianity, as was done in the time of the religious prince Sisebutus, (or Sisenandus,) for as much as they have been partakers of the sacraments, and have received the grace of baptism, and the unction of chrism, and the communion of the body and blood of the Lord, therefore they ought to be obliged to hold the faith, which they were compelled by force or necessity to receive, lest the name of the Lord should be blasphemed, and the faith which they have received be vilified and exposed to contempt." By this we learn, that baptism was always to be a voluntary act in adult persons, and none were to be compelled against their own wills to receive it: and though the Church did not rescind such actions as were done against this rule, yet she did not approve them, but thought them worthy of her censure,and unfit to be made a precedent for the future. That which looks most like force in this case allowed by law was the orders of Justinian mentioned 1 Con. Tolet. 4. can. 56. De Judæis autem præcepit sancta synodus, nemini deinceps ad credendum vim inferre. Cui enim vult Deus miseretur, et quem vult indurat. Non enim tales inviti salvandi sunt, sed volentes, ut integra sit forma justitiæ: sicut enim homo propria arbitrii voluntate Serpenti obediens periit, sic vocante se gratiâ Dei, propriæ mentis conversione homo quisque credendo salvatur. Ergò non vi, sed liberâ arbitrii voluntate, ut convertantur suadendi sunt, non potius impellendi. Qui autem jam pridem ad Christianitatem venire coacti sunt, sicut factum est temporibus religiosissimi Principis Sisebuti, al. Sisenandi, quia jam constat eos sacramentis divinis sociatos, et baptismi gratiam suscepisse, et chrismate unctos esse. Et corporis Domini et sanguinis extitisse participes, oportet etiam ut fidem, quam vi vel necessitate susceperunt, tenere cogantur, ne nomen Domini blasphemetur, et fides, quam susceperunt, vilis ac contemptibilis habeatur. before, one of which appoints Heathens and the other Samaritans to be baptized, with their wives and children and servants, under pain of confiscation. But even these laws did not compel them to be baptized against their wills, but allowed them two years time to be catechumens, and admitted none but such as made a voluntary profession of their faith and repentance. For the penalties were only designed to prevent fraud and prevarications, in such as pretended to receive baptism themselves, but in the mean time took no care to have their families made Christian: against whom the wisdom of the State then thought no laws severe enough could be enacted. So that these laws were tempered with the greatest prudence, between the extremes of rigour and remissness, that men might be made sensible on the one hand of their obligations to become Christians, and yet none have reason to complain on the other hand, that they were forced by violence to embrace a religion against their wills, which they could not approve and assent to. For the penalties, as I said, were only designed to chastise the hypocritical practices and fraudulent remissness of manifest prevaricators. And it were to be wished, that all civil governments and states in all ages would enact such laws, and put them duly in execution, against such sort of Christians, who instead of encouraging their slaves to be baptized, are the only obstacles to hinder and deprive them of the benefit of Christian baptism. SECT. 6.-What Persons were rejected from baptism: With a particular Account of some certain Trades and Vocations, which kept Men from it: Such were Image-makers and Stage-players. I have one thing more to note concerning adult persons, who might or might not be admitted to baptism: and that is, that all such heathens as made their livelihood out of any scandalous trades or professions, which could not be allowed by the rules of Christianity, were rejected from baptism, till they solemnly promised to bid adieu to, and actually forsook such vocations. The author of the Apostolical Constitutions specifies several of this nature: such as the opvoBookoi, See chap. iv. sect. 17. panders, or procurers; Пópvu, whores; Eidwλoroioi, makers of images, or idols; against whom Tertullian has also a particular dissertation, where he censures this trade as inconsistent with the profession of Christianity, telling men, "that by this art they made the devils their Alumni, their pupils, to whom they were a sort of foster-fathers, whilst they furnished out materials to carry on their service." "And with what confidence," says he, "can any man exorcize his own Alumni, those devils, whose service he makes his own house a shop or armoury to maintain?" reflecting on this unlawful trade of making images for the idol-temples. Next to these in the Constitutions follow Οἱ ἐπὶ σκηνῆς, actors and stage-players, who could not stick to that profession, and be admitted to Christian baptism, because a great deal both of lewdness and idolatry was actually committed or encouraged by such as made a livelihood of that profession. The Canons therefore forbad all such to be baptized, and excommunicated those that fell to the trade again after baptism. "If a soothsayer or a stageplayer," says the council of Eliberis,s" have a mind to become believers, that is, to be baptized, let them be received, on condition they first bid adieu to their arts, and return not to them again: which if they attempt to do against this prohibition, they shall be cast out of the Church." In like manner the third council of Carthage appoints all such to be excommunicated, and not to be reconciled or received again to favour but upon their conversion. And in the time of Cyprian, not only public actors, but private teachers and masters of this scandalous art were debarred the communion of the Church: as appears from Cyprian's answer to Eucratius, who put this question to him,5—whether a stage 1 Constit, Apost. lib. viii. c. 32. 2 Tertul. de Idololat. c. 11. Quâ constantiâ exorcizabit alumnos suos, quibus domum suam cellariam præstat? 3 Con. Eliber. can. 62. Si augur aut pantomimi credere voluerint, placuit, ut prius artibus suis renuncient, et tunc demum suscipiantur, ita ut ulterius non revertantur. Quod si facere contra interdictum tentaverint, projiciantur ab ecclesiâ. 4 Con. Carth, iii. can. 35. Ut scenicis atque histrionibus, cæterisque hujusmodi personis, vel apostaticis, conversis vel reversis ad Dominum, gratia vel reconciliatio non negetur. Cypr. Ep. 61. al. 2. ad Eucratium, p. 3. Consulendum me existimâsti, quid mihi videatur de histrione quodam, qui apud vos constitutus, in ejusdem adhuc artis suæ dede 5 |