Baptism of Children

AND Jesus took a child and set him in the midst; and when he had
taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive
one of such children, in my name, receiveth me and whosoever shall
receive me, receiveth not me, but Him that sent me.

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch
them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought them; but when
Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is
the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter
therein.

Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as a little child, the
same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say
unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of
my Father which is in heaven.

IN sympathy, as we believe, with the spirit of our Savior, we
are about to dedicate this child to God, in baptism. This water is
the emblem of that purity which God de-sires in the souls of his
children, — that purity, which was in Christ Jesus, his well-be-loved
Son, in whom we are called to pureness and holiness of living.

Will ye instruct this child in the gospel of Jesus Christ?
And will ye faithfully endeavor to rear him in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord?

Answer. We will.

Name this child.

And, repeating the name, the Minister shall baptize the child,
saying:
I BAPTIZE thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
Or,
IN the faith, fellowship, and hope of the gospel, I dedicate thee to
God, our Father in heaven.
Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast promised unto us that thou
wilt not only be our God, but the God and Father of our children,
admit this child, we beseech thee, into the bosom of thy Church,
into the service of Christ, into the arms of thy mercy, and into the
communion of saints. Grant to him(her) a healthful body, a good
under-standing, sweet dispositions, and rich measures of thy Holy
Spirit, that being steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and rooted in
charity, he(she) may safely pass through the temptations of this
world, and have part with thy faithful children in the life to come.

Endue these thy servants, O God, with wisdom from above. Help them
in thine own best way to consecrate to thy service this cherished
gift of thy goodness. By thy Holy Spirit aid them, and all who are
here present, so to live before thee in love and obedience, as
finally,' to see thy face in joy and peace eternal. Amen.

{A Hymn may here be sung.~)

THE peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep our minds
and hearts in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus
Christ; and the blessing of God, the Father Almighty, be amongst us,
and remain with us always. Amen.

BAPTISM, OR CONFIRMATION

JESUS said, Go, and teach all nations, baptizing them into the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo!
I am with you always, unto the end of the world.

Then Peter said, Repent and be baptized every one of you, for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that
are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he
hath done for my soul. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me.

But verily God hath heard me. He hath attended to the voice of my
prayer.

Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his
mercy from me.

The Minister shall then ask,

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Answer. I do.
Will you renounce the fellowship of evil, and endeavor to do the
will of God as revealed by Jesus Christ?
Answer. I will.
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(For Confirmation, omit the Baptismal Form.)

THIS water is the emblem of that purity which God desires in the
souls of his children, that purity which was in Christ Jesus, whose
death and resurrection we would also re-member; that as he died and
rose again, so we who are baptized may die to sin, and rise again to
righteousness.

Baptism shall then be administered, the Minister saying, —

I BAPTIZE thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.

NOW are you our brother in the Christian Church; and with our
whole hearts we will join you in your Christian confession.

The Congregation then standing, the minister shall say:

IN grateful remembrance of the mercy of God, made manifest in our
Christian birth, teaching, and fellowship and with an earnest desire
and humble hope to live more worthy of so great mercy, we dedicate
ourselves to God's service, in the faith and hope of the gospel.

And may God, who giveth life to all, help us, that we may
diligently renew this dedication in the conduct of our lives, and
that we may so walk together in this life that, in the world to
come, we may have life everlasting.

PRAYER.
To be said by the Minister.
DEFEND, O Lord, thy servant with thy heavenly grace, that he may
continue thine forever. Daily increase in him thy Holy Spirit, the
spirit of wisdom and under-standing, the spirit of counsel and
inward strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness, until
he come into thine everlasting kingdom.

Lord of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all
good things, graft in our hearts the love of thy name; increase in
us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and of thy great
mercy keep us in the same for evermore. Amen.

THE peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep our minds
and hearts through Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

 

Both of these are from

SERVICES FOR
CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP

published by the American Unitarian Association in 1877.