IN Then signing him on the forehead with the N the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, I sign thee with the sign of faith, the sign of the Cross of Christ: Be thou never ashamed of His Cross, but confess the faith of Christ crucified, and continue His faithful soldier and servant unto thy life's end. R. Amen. A Let us pray. LMIGHTY GOD, the eternal refuge of all that call upon Thee, the aid of all that flee to Thee for succour; the life of them that believe; and the resurrection of the dead; We call upon Thee for this infant [or, person], that he, coming to Thy holy baptism, may receive forgiveness of his sins, and Thine everlasting mercy and grace, by regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Receive him, O Lord, as Thou hast promised by Thy well-beloved Son, saying, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." So give now unto him that asketh, let him that seeketh find, open the gate unto him that knocketh, that he may enjoy the everlasting benediction of Thy heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom, which Thou hast promised; through Jesus Christ our Lord. R. Amen. ¶ Here all shall rise; and the Priest [receiving the infant from the Sponsors] shall turn towards the altar, and shall repeat the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth: I And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The Holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of Sins; The Resurrection of the Body; And the Life everlasting. R. Amen. UR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. R. Amen. THe then [shall deliver back the infant to the The Lord be with you; R. And with thy spirit. And ¶ Then the Priest shall return to the choir (the Candidate for Baptism, with his Sponsors, remaining at the lower part of the church), and he shall proceed as follows: The Exhortation. EARLY beloved in the Lord, DE We are instructed from God's Word, and our own experience doth testify, that all men are conceived and born in sin, and do of their own nature incline thereto; and so are justly exposed to God's wrath and indignation. We learn also, and do believe, that our Lord Jesus Christ hath offered upon the cross, through His own sufferings and death for us, a sufficient and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world: by His resurrection He became the last Adam, the quickening Spirit: by His Word and Sacraments He makes men partakers of Himself, and of that eternal life which He hath brought into the world: and He hath instituted in His Church the sacrament of Baptism, for the remission of sin, and for regeneration by the Holy Ghost; that whoso believeth in Him, and is bap tized, may, according to His promise, and through the mercy of God, be saved. For this cause we are now gathered together, that this infant [or, person] may through this holy sacrament be washed from his sins, and be made a member of Christ's holy Church unto eternal salvation [being assured in our hearts, that it is not the will of our Father which is in heaven, that one of such little ones should perish]. And as it becomes us at all times to humble ourselves before God, so especially at this time, when the present goodness and mercy of God, in making this infant [or, person] a partaker in all the benefits of the passion of His dear Son, do lead us to remember those sins for which He hath suffered, the just for the unjust and evil. Wherefore let us confess unto Almighty God the sinfulness of our nature, and our own unworthiness, that, receiving from Him the assurance of His mercy and forgiveness, we may with joy and confidence present and dedicate this infant [or, person] unto Him, and beseech Him that He will deliver him out of the kingdom of darkness, and translate him into the kingdom of His dear Son. A Then shall follow this Confession. Let us pray. LMIGHTY GOD, merciful Father, we humbly confess before Thee, that we, and all men, are shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin; and from the womb we go astray speaking lies. We do inherit a deceitful and desperately wicked heart, and of our own natural propensity and perverse wills do continually follow untoward and evil ways. We bewail, and are sorry for, this our fault and manifest corruption, which is a grief and a displeasure unto Thee, and which we acknowledge to be our guilt and shame. Yet have mercy upon us, O most merciful Father, for Jesus Christ's sake: Vouchsafe unto us remission of our sins through His most precious blood, and the continual renewing of Thy Holy Spirit; that we may henceforth walk in newness of life, to the glory of Thy holy Name. R. Amen. A T The Absolution. LMIGHTY GOD, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for His sake have mercy upon you; grant unto you full remission and forgiveness, and absolve you from all your sins. And may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be with you all. R. Amen. Then shall be read the Gospel, either from Mark, x. 13–16, or John, iii. 1-8; or a Lesson from Rom, vi. 1-11. T After this they shall proceed to the font, and the Priest shall address the Sponsors as follows: D EARLY beloved, Ye have brought this infant [or, person] into the Church of God, and do seek for him deliverance from the power of the devil, the remission of sin, and regeneration by the Holy Ghost, through the sacrament of Baptism, which Christ hath ordained for bestowing these benefits. These God, on His part, will most surely bestow, for the sake of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore it is my duty in the presence of God, and before this congregation, to demand of you, that, in the name of this infant, who cannot answer on his own behalf, you [or if an adult, to demand of this person that he] do make that confession of unfeigned faith, out of a pure conscience, which Almighty God shall accept and answer, by vouchsafing His holy Baptism. I demand therefore, Dost thou believe that man is of his own nature corrupt and evil, and is guilty before God, and obnoxious to His just judgments? And, Dost thou earnestly desire to be delivered from this guilt? R. Such is my faith, and such is my desire. Art thou persuaded of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, that He willeth not that any one should perish, but hath sent His Son to redeem the world; that Jesus Christ hath died for our sins, the just for the unjust; and that He hath ordained |