The Ministration of
Public Baptism of Infants
to be used in the church

The Baptism

Dearly beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, and that our Saviour Christ said “none can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the Holy Ghost”: I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his bounteous mercy he will grant to this Child that thing which by nature he cannot have; that he may be baptised with Water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a lively member of the same.

Then the Priest shall say:

Let us pray:
Almighty and everlasting God, who of your great mercy saved Noah and his family in the ark from perishing by water; and also safely led the children of Israel your people through the Red Sea, figuring in this your holy Baptism; and by the Baptism of your well-beloved Son Jesus Christ, in the river Jordan, did sanctify Water to the mystical washing away of sin: We beseech you, for your infinite mercies, that you will mercifully look upon this child; wash him and sanctify him with the Holy Ghost; that he, being delivered from your wrath, may be received into the ark of Christ’s Church; and being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this troublesome world, that finally he may come to the land of everlasting life, there to reign with you world without end, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Almighty and immortal God, the aid of all that need, the leper of all that flee to you for succour, the life of them that believe, and the resurrection of the dead: We call upon you for this Infant, that he, coming to your holy Baptism, may receive remission of his sins by spiritual regeneration. Receive him, O Lord, as you have promised by your well-beloved Son, saying, Ask, and you shall have; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: So give now unto us that ask; let us that seek find; open the gate unto us that knock; that this Infant may enjoy the everlasting benediction of your heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which you have promised by Christ our Lord.

Amen

Then the people shall stand up, and the Priest shall say:

Hear the words of the Gospel, written by Saint Mark in the tenth chapter at the thirteenth verse.

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.Mark 10:13-16

After the Gospel has been read, the Minister shall give the following exhortation upon the words of the Gospel:

Beloved, you have heard in this Gospel the words of our Saviour Christ, that he commanded the children to be brought to him; how he blamed those that would have kept them from him; and how he exhorts all men to follow their innocency. You perceive how by his outward gesture and deed he declared his good will toward them; for he embraced them in his arms, he laid his ands upon them, and blessed them. Do not doubt therefore, but earnestly believe, that he will likewise favourably receive this present Infant: that he will embrace him with the arms of his mercy; that he will give unto him the blessing of eternal life, and make him a partaker of his everlasting kingdom. Therefore, we being persuaded of the good will of our heavenly Father towards this Infant, declared by his Son Jesus Christ; and nothing doubting but that he favourably allows this charitable work of ours in bringing this Infant to his holy Baptism; let us faithfully and devoutly give thanks unto him, and say:

Almighty and everlasting God, heavenly Father, we give you humble thanks that you have vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of your grace and faith in you; Increase this knowledge and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give you Holy Spirit to this Infant, that he may be born again, and be made an heir of everlasting salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

Amen

Then the Priest shall speak to the Godfathers and Godmothers as follows:

Dearly beloved, you have brought this child here to be baptised; you have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would vouchsafe to receive him, to release him from his sins, to sanctify him with the Holy Ghost, to give him the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life.. You have also heard that our Lord Jesus Christ has promised in his Gospel, to grant all these things that you have prayed for; which promise he, for his part, will most surely keep and perform. Therefore, after this promise made by Christ, this infant must also faithfully, for his part, promise by you that are his sureties, (until he comes of an age sufficient to take it upon himself,) that he will renounce the devil and all his works, and constantly believe God’s holy Word, and obediently keep his commandments.

I therefore ask

Do you, in the name of this Child, renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh, so that you will not follow nor be led by them?

I renounce them all

Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth? And in Jesus Christ is only begotten Son our Lord? And that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; that he suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, that he went down into hell, and also did rise again the third day; that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; and from there shall come again ant the end of the world, to judge the living and the dead?

And do you believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the Communion of Saints; the Remission of sins; the Resurrection of the flesh; and everlasting life after death?

All this I steadfastly believe

Will you be baptised into this faith?

That is my desire

Will you then obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of your life?

Answer. I will.

Then the Priest shall say:

Merciful God, grant that the old Adam in this Child may be so buried, that the new man may be raised up in him.

Amen.

Grant that all carnal affections may die in him, and that all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in him.

Amen.

Grant that he may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph, against the devil, the world, and the flesh.

Amen.

Grant that whosoever is here dedicated to you by our office and ministry may also be endued with heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded, through your mercy, O blessed Lord God, who lives, and governs all things, world without end.

Amen.

Almighty, ever-living God, whose most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most precious side both water and blood; and gave commandment to his disciples, that they should go teach all nations, and baptise them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Regard, we beseech you, the supplications of your congregation; sanctify this Water to the mystical washing away of sin; and grant that this Child, now to be baptised therein, may receive the fullness of your grace, and ever remain in the number of your faithful and elect children; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Then the Priest shall take the Child into his hands, and shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers, Name this Child. And then naming it after them (if they certify to him that the Child may endure it well) he shall dip the child in the Water discreetly and warily, saying:

N. I baptise you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

But if they certify that the Child is weak, it shall suffice to pour Water upon it, saying the same words as above:

N. I baptise you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

Then the Priest shall say:

We receive this Child into the congregation of Christ’s flock, *and do sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world, and the devil; and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his life’s end.
* here the Priest shall make a Cross upon the Child’s forehead.

Amen.

Then the Priest shall say:

Now seeing, dearly beloved brethren, that this Child is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits; and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that this Child may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.

Then shall be said:

All kneel

Our Father which is in heaven, Hallowed be your Name, Your kingdom come, Your 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; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

Amen.

Then the Priest shall say:

We give you hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it has pleased you to regenerate this Infant with your Holy Spirit, to receive him as your own Child by adoption, and to incorporate him into your holy Church. And humbly we beseech you to grant, that he, being dead unto sin, and living unto righteousness, and being buried with Christ in his death, may crucify the old man, and utterly abolish the whole body of sin; and that, as he is made partaker of the death of your Son, he may also be a partaker of his resurrection; so that finally, with the residue of your holy Church, he may be an heir of your everlasting kingdom; through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

All stand. The Priest now says the following to the Godfathers and Godmothers:

Forsomuch as this Child has promised by you his sureties to renounce the devil and all his works, to believe in God, and to serve him: you must remember, that it is your parts and duties to see that this Infant be taught, so soon as he is able to learn, what a solemn vow, promise, and profession, he has here made by you. And that he may know these things the better, you shall call upon him to hear Sermons; and chiefly you shall provide, that he may learn the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, in the common language, and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul’s health; and that this Child may be virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life; remembering always, that Baptism represents to us our profession; which is, to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him; that, as he died, and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptised, die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living.

Then he shall further say:

You are to take care that this Child is brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him, as soon as he can say the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, in the common language, and be further instructed in the Church-Catechism set forth for that purpose.