ward act, "the sealing of the forehead" is actually spoken of by St. John, it is far the most likely that St. Paul, when using this

“self Prophets and Priests, that it might be a mark to the sheep of His pasture ; "O LORD, let Thy Virtue come from the highest heights, and dwell in this oil, "that in it may be figured the mysteries of Thy CHRIST, and that it may be a "mark to the sheep of Thy flock, and a purifying Hyssop, and a pledge of "holiness to the bodies of thy faithful."

Maronite.

(ii. 332. 348.)

"He is marked as a lamb in the flock of CHRIST with the living oil of the "Divine Anointing in the Name of the Living FATHER, to life, Amen; In the "Name of the Living Only-Begotten Sox to life, Amen; In the Name of the "HOLY SPIRIT to life everlasting. Amen."

(ii. 334.)

"O LORD, let Thy Living and HOLY SPIRIT come, and dwell, and rest on the “head of this Thy servant, and let him be marked in Thy Name, Living "FATHER, in the Name of Thy Only-Begotten Son, and of Thy SPIRIT, "the Comforter, who remitteth our sins now, &c. And be the body of Thy servant and the soul of Thy marked one, sanctified."

Greek.

Anointing just before Baptism. (Rubric, ii. 143.)

"And he makes the mark of a cross on the forehead, chest, and back, "saying, 'The servant of GOD is anointed with the oil of gladness, in

"the Name of, &c.' And he seals his chest, back, &c."

Maronite.
(ii. 347.)

"O Good Shepherd, and Finder of the lost, who with the mark of the Trinity "didst mark Thy flock, that they may be kept from fierce wolves, keep them "by Thy glorious Name."

Antioch by Severus.
Hymn. (ii. 297.)

"This is the oil which outwardly anoints the reason-endowed lamb, which "cometh to Baptism. But the HOLY SPIRIT seals it secretly, and Divinely "indwelleth and sanctifieth."

Brief Form by Severus. (ii. 302.)

"He is sealed with the oil of gladness, that he may become worthy of the "adoption of sons through regeneration, in the Name of the FATHER, Amen, "and of the SON, Amen, and of the HOLY GHOST, Amen, to life everlasting.

same word of the Corinthian and Ephesian Churches, alluded to such an act, and that the use of the cross at Baptism was coeval with Christian Baptism itself, which inserts us into His Cross and Passion, and imparts to us its saving virtue. It was plainly also a more pious act, which marked the first approaches to Christian Baptism, in the admission to be Catechumens of the Church, by the solemn impress of the Cross, and so brought them in, as it were, within the outer court, and fenced them round by it, than to leave them stray sheep, as before, calling them only by the voice of human shepherds, but in no solemn way of devotion, consecrating these beginnings of their return to the true fold, and to the Shepherd and Bishop of their souls.

It would appear then, that the interpretation which perhaps most among us would in the first instance have looked upon as cold and formal, is certainly true and if so, it may well be a warning how we hold any thing, which ties us down (as men speak) to CHRIST'S Sacraments, to be cold or formal; for in this case it will be GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT, Which we have ignorantly suspected of teaching coldly and lifelessly. Not as though the Ancient Church supposed the Apostle here to speak of a sealing, which, having taken place once for all, would then remain, as it were, on a lifeless mass of goods, or keep us safe without any effort, self-denial, or prayer: but rather, that as a living seal stamped upon our souls by the Spirit of life, and bearing with it the impress of the Divine Nature, it would renew continually in our souls the image of Him Who created us, our Father, our Redeemer, our Sanctifier, make us more and more wholly His,

2 After Baptism. Latin. (Gellon, ii. 55.)

"Afterwards he marks him in the forehead with a cross with Chrism, say. "ing, "The sign of CHRIST to life eternal. Peace be with you.""

See further Note M, Baptismal Liturgies, signing with the Cross.

Syriac.

Short form by Severus. (ii. 305.)

"With holy Chrism the sweet savour of CHRIST, GOD, the seal of true "faith, and the completion of the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT, he is sealed in the "Name of the FATHER, Amen, and of the SON, Amen, and of the HOLY "GHOST, Amen."

more partakers of that Nature; and that we, having that “seal "of GoD upon our foreheads" (Rev. ix. 4.) and our hearts, the Angel of the bottomless pit should not have any power to hurt us, unless we allow it to be obliterated. The difference between the two interpretations, as before said, is this-the one would date this sealing from the time when any man ceases to oppose the workings of GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT (which might unobjectionably be spoken of under the name "conversion," if the term were confined to denote the actual change of such a man, not used to exclude the belief of previous gifts in Baptism); the other would look upon it as our SAVIOUR'S gift in his Sacrament of Baptism, wherein all the gracious influences of GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT, as well those which any of us contumaciously reject, as those which we at last admit, are pledged to us in the "earnest " then given. We may learn very much by all such instances, in which our own (as we suppose Christian) views differ from the teaching of GOD's word; and, were we to watch, and so correct also, all the instances in which (with a but half-acknowledged repugnance or distaste) we glide over statements of doctrine, or practice, or history, which are not in accordance with our state of feeling, we should learn far more, and become far completer Christians, than we now are. For then we should be indeed GoD's scholars, which we can hardly call ourselves, as long as we make these self-willed selections of what we will learn. Thus one, who looks upon the LORD's Supper as little more than a commemorative sign of an absent thing, passes lightly over our SAVIOUR'S words, "This is My Body." A former period used to gloss over the doctrine of justification by faith. In these days we seem almost to have lost sight of the truth, that we shall be judged according to our works. Others omit passages bearing upon the "godly consideration of predestination, and our election in "CHRIST," (Art. xvii.); others, the possibility of our falling from GOD, and its great danger; and so again, the injunctions as to unceasing prayer, self-denial, non-requital of injuries, vain ostentation, or the glorifying of our Heavenly Father, are dispensed with without remorse, and read with what, if men examined it, they would find to be the very spirit of unbelief.

ii. 2. "And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and know all things. "Ye, then, let that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you; for if that "which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the "SON, and in the FATHER.-These things I have written unto you concerning "those who would lead you astray. And ye, the anointing which ye received "from Him, abideth in you, and ye have no need that any should teach you, "but as that same anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, " and is no lie, and as it taught you, so abide in Him." (1 John ii. 20—27.)

In

This mention by St. John of the "anointing" which Christians. had received from CHRIST, remarkably connects with the teaching of St. Paul just dwelt upon; and the argument is the same. each verse St. John speaks of it as abiding in its effects: but in the latter (ver. 27.) as having been received of CHRIST at some former time. Here again, then, it might be natural to infer that a gift, whose operation continued, but which is spoken of as having been formerly received, was first communicated at some particular time, and that having been received from CHRIST, it was received through some institution of CHRIST. In like manner also the very term "anointing" would lead one to think of an act in part outward; and since it was employed under the Jewish law to consecrate things or persons to the service of God, it might the more obviously be used for the consecration of "lay-priesthood"," as Baptism is called; and that the more, since our Blessed SAVIOUR was actually consecrated and anointed (comp. Luke iii. 21, 22; iv. 1, 14, 16.) by the descent and abiding of the HOLY GHOST at His Baptism, and then became the Christ; since, moreover, the same 'sevenfold gifts" of the HOLY SPIRIT, which were bestowed upon the CHRIST at His Baptism (Is. xi. 2; lxi. 1. Luke iv. 18.) are here spoken of by St. John, as having been in their measure imparted to Christians; and a past "anointing (as we saw was above) is by St. Paul (2 Cor. i. 21, 22.) united with the past "sealing" of Baptism. This coincidence of expression in the two Apostles is the more remarkable, in that these are the only places in which they speak of the "anointing" of Christians. A more close examination also of St. John's context brings his words very strikingly in connexion with our SAVIOUR'S Commission to His disciples, "to baptize all nations in the

66

1 Jerome adv. Lucif. c. 2. quoted by Bingham, b. xi. c. 1.

"Name of the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY GHOST," since this "anointing" imparted saving knowledge also ', the knowledge of the "truth" as opposed to Antichristian "falsehood," (ver. 21.) and that knowledge, the Confession of the FATHER and the SoN; "whoso confesseth the Sox hath the FATHER also." (ver. 23.) The "truth" and the "chrism," or "anointing," whereby they knew JESUS to be the "Christ," or "anointed," are closely blended together, and are spoken of as almost identical. "Let "that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you," says St. John, for so 66 shall ye abide in the Son, and in the FATHER;" and then immediately, "and ye, the Chrism which ye received of Him, "abideth in you," and as the consequence of this, "ye shall "abide in Him-that when He shall appear, we may not be "ashamed at His coming." So then by the "abiding" of the "chrism," which they had formerly "received," there abode also in them truth which they had at that same time heard, at the very "beginning" namely of their Christian life; which truth, in whomsoever it abode, he "abode in the FATHER and the Son," and “had the promise which He promised, even eternal life." The words could hardly be more plainly shown to belong to that period, when, in the language of the Fathers, that good deposit was confided to them, thenceforth the partner and guide of their life, and their companion in their passage out of it, the Confession of the FATHER, and the Son, and the HOLY SPIRIT, wherewith they were baptized, and brought up from Baptism".

But besides this internal evidence from the comparison of Scripture itself, we have the authority of Christian antiquity to guide us in interpreting it, in the very use of the name "the anointing" to designate Baptism; and the early and general use of Chrism or anointing, as a holy and significant act thereat, and

1 A remarkable comment on this text, "as that anointing teacheth you," is furnished by the words used in anointing, in the Coptic liturgy, "We anoint "thee in the Name of the FATHER, and the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT, One "GOD. We anoint thee with the oil of instruction in the one holy Catholic "and Apostolic Church of God. Amen." Ass. i. 148. See also S. Athanasius, quoted below on iii. 3. p. 280. S. Jerome, ii. in Abac. c. iii. 13. refers the unction to Baptism.

2 Greg. Naz. See above, p. 78.