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Update 46 page 14.
In Update 46:
Parents hear?
Web wanderings
Dear Archbishop
Waters converge
Videos and prep
Andrewes
Of godparents
Baptism - heaven opened
The teachings of Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626) as explained in "The Mystery of Baptism in the Anglican Tradition", Kenneth Stevenson, Canterbury Press 1998, summarised and reviewed by John Hartley.
What is our church's tradition of infant baptism based on? 'On scripture', I hope - but in fact, as Colin Buchanan said at a conference recently, the application of scripture is handed down to us through the tradition of the church. Thus to understand where we are we need to hear how our predecessors handled scripture.
Lancelot Andrewes is one of the nine Reformation-age theologians chosen by Kenneth Stevenson as voices from the past to which we might listen. After Andrewes' death, 96 of his sermons were collected and published by King Charles I's directions. To judge by Stevenson's selections, not many of them were on baptism?
As Bishop of Ely, Andrewes chose Luke 3:21-2 as his text for Whitsunday 1615, to emphasise some Lucan features of the account of Jesus' baptism.
In contrast to the epistle for the day (Acts 2:1-11) in which the Apostles are made Christians (says Andrewes), this passage is about all of us becoming Christians, for all the people were baptized. Moreover we should follow Christ's example and be baptized where everyone else is (i.e. not in 'private baptisms'). At Jesus' baptism we see "the Father in the voice, the Son in the water, and the Spirit in the dove": thus Whitsun is "the Feast of Baptism ... for here is the whole Trinity in action".
Andrewes was used to a three-fold immersion (in the liturgy of the day) which he identifies as three immersions: in Gethsemane at Christ's agony, in Gabbatha when he was scourged, and at Golgotha at the crucifixion. "Therefore we are baptized into his cross-baptism" (defending the sign of the cross, an issue with the Puritans). Christ now prays - "Want begets prayer - therefore there yet wants somewhat": baptism is not to be just the outward sign, but is incomplete without the giving of the Holy Spirit. "See the force of Christ's prayer: before it nothing, but straight upon it ... the opening of heaven, to bring down thence the waters above, the heavenly grace of the Holy Spirit."
So baptism is a door into heaven which pours the Spirit down onto us, and raises us up as beloved sons, "franchised" into God. A heady mix of ideas and imagination. If true it explains why it is important to baptize all comers. But I think my problem with Andrewes is his lack of exposition. This is what some of our predecessors thought, and it explains their actions - but is all of this what the bible actually says?
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