Utrum horum, or, The nine and thirty articles of the Church of England, at large recited, and compared with the doctrines of those commonly called Presbyterians on the one side, and the tenets of the Church of Rome on the other both faithfully quoted from their own most approved authors / by Hen. Care.

The Papists

Maintain,

• ...1. As to the Effects of Baptism, That it takes away all Sin.

  The Sacrament of Baptism doth it self wash away Sins, and therefore doth not only signifie, (as the Hereticks affirm) That our Sins be forgiven before, or other∣wise by Faith only remitted, whereby the Churches Doctrine is proved to be fully agreeable to the Scriptures, That the Sa∣craments give Grace ex opere operato, that is by the force and Vertue of the Work and Word done and said in the Sa∣crament.

  Not only is all Sin so taken away by Baptism as not to be imputed, but it leaves no Sin Inherent, nothing that can be im∣puted, as a Sin to those Baptized.

• ...2. That Children dying without it are Damn'd.

  The Church hath always Believed that

• ...

  Children perish, if they depart this Life without Baptism.

  As no Man can enter into this World, nor have his Life and being in the same, except he be born of his Carnal Parents, no more can a man en∣ter into the Life and State of Grace, which is in Christ, or attain to Life E∣verlasting, unless he be born and Bap∣tized of Water and the Holy Ghost; whereby we see, First, This Sacra∣ment to be called our Regeneration or second Birth, in respect of our Natural and Carnal, which was before. Se∣condly, That this Sacrament consisteth of an external Element of Water, and internal vertue of the Holy Spirit, wherein it excelleth John's Baptism, which had the external Element, but not the Spiritual Grace. Thirdly, That no Man can enter into the Kingdom of God, nor into the Fellowship of Holy Church without it, whereby the Pelagians, and Calvinists be Condem∣ned, that promise Life everlasting to young Children that die without Bap∣tism.

• ...

• ... 3. As to the Minister of Baptism, any Person may do it.

  Therefore in case of necessity, any Person, Man or Woman, may Baptize lawfully, one may do it be he Jew, or Pagan, let but the matter and form be right, with a due Intention.

• ...4. They add and practise several Ce∣remonies, besides the Institution, in and about Baptism.

  As, That the Priest must Exorcise or conjure the Devil out of the Party to be Baptized, and Exsufflation (as they call it) that is a puffing hard upon the Party to le Baptized, in token of outing the Evil Spirit, and breathing in the Good in the room thereof, putting Holy Salt into his Mouth, annointing his Ears and Nostrils, and pronouncing the word, Epheta, thatis, be opened, Anointing him upon the Crown with Holy Crism of the Bishops own ma∣king, putting a lighted Taper into the Childs hand, and a white Garment on its back, to shew that he is translated

• ...

  out of Darkness into Light, and denote the purity of his Soul, with Several other the like Ceremonies, to the Number of one or two and twenty, reckon'd up by Bellarmine particularly, in his First Book of Baptism, Can. 25, 26, and 27.

  All which (though they have not the leastWarrant from Scripture) they require to be punctually and necessarily observ'd, For so their Council of Trent, Sess. 7. Can. 13. does Decree.—If any one shall, say, That the received and ap∣proved Rites used in the solemn Admini∣stration of the Sacraments may be con∣temn'd, or at pleasure omitted by the Ad∣ministrators without Sin, or chang'd into any new ones by any Pastor of the Churches, Let him be Anathema.

• ...

  5. Not yet herewith content, They further have prophan'd this Ordinance, by applying it to Bells which they Baptize, thereby giving them (as they imagine) a vertue of cleansing the Air from Devils, preventing the mischiefs of Lightning, and saving from other Calamities that arise from Tempests, of which Holy Christen∣ing, Pope John the 14th hath the Ho∣nour of being first Author (Sec Centuria∣tores

• ...

  Magdeburgenses, Cent. 10. Cap. 6.) 'Tis true, Bellarmine de Rom. Pon∣tiff. l. 4. cap. 12. being half ashamed of this Practice, and no way able to find any colour to defend it, would shuffle it off by alledging—That not the Popes, but common People apply the name of Baptism Metaphorically to the Benediction of the Bells with Holy naming of them, and Prayers also, all which he does acknow∣ledge still in use: But that there is, or at least formerly was more in the Case, ap∣pears by the hundred grievances of the Germans, exhibited to the Popes Legate no longer ago than since Luthers time, by the Princes of Germany at the Dyet of Norimberg, where the one and fifti∣eth grievance is this, That the Suffragans have invented, that only themselves and none other Priest shall Baptize Bells for the Laity, and the ruder People do be∣lieve by the Affirmation of the Suffragans, that Bells so Baptized will drive away Devils and Tempests. Wherefore Multi∣tudes, for the most part, of Godfathers are appointed; they especially that are Rich, at the time of Baptism, take hold of the Rope, and as the Suffragan sings

• ...

  before (as is wont to be done in Baptizing of Children) they all make the Responses, and after name the Bell, which (as Christi∣ans use to be) is then dressed in new Gar∣ments. And after they have a sumptuous Feast, and the Suffragan is rewarded libe∣rally. This is sure something more than a Metaphorical Baptism.

I shall only add one more strange Doctrine of the Church of Rome, touching Baptism, and that is, That a Child may be Baptized in its Mothers Womb by a Pipe. This I find Asserted in a Treatise Intituled, Compendium Dianae. The Words pag. 201 are these—Pueri si moriantur in utero matris, nihil obstat, quo minus possint Baptizari, si Actio Ministri possit ad ipsum puerumeti∣am in utero matris existentem pervenire, ut si fistula possit pertingere ad ipsum Infan∣tis Corpusculum, vel propter Matris Cica∣tricem aspersio aquae possit ad illum pertin∣gere, & hoc etiam si acceleretur matris mors (dummodo sit certo moritura) tunc e∣nim etiam ipsa mater tenetur permittere, ut proles Baptizetur, Res. 12. In Eng∣lish thus—If Children dye in their Mothers Womb, nothing hinders but

that they may nevertheless be Bapti∣zed, if the action of the Minister may extend to the Child it self, although remaining in its Mothers Belly, as if a Pipe may reach the Infants Body, or by or through the Cicatrix of the Mo∣ther [I must leave the Reader here to guess at his meaning] the sprinkling of the Water may reach thereunto. And this, although thereby the Death of the Mother be hastned (provi∣ded she must certainly dye) for then even the Mother her self is bound to permit that her Child be Baptized.

But I suppose the Reader (as well as my self) is nauseated with such fulsome Poposh Divinity—Lets therefore hasten to another Article.

Notes

• Rhem. An∣not. on Acts 22. 17.
• Conc. Trid. Sess. 5. decret. 5•• Bellarm. de Baptism. l. 1. cap. 13.
• Ibid. Can. 4.
• Rhem. An∣not. on John 3.
• Bellarm. Ibid. Can. 7.