eternal those who live "the rest of their lives according to that beginning!" The statement of these writers, as an historical fact, is valuable, that "no one of the fathers calls the Sacraments seals, as being symbols of God's good-will towards us, to excite our faith, whereby we may certainly believe that our sins are forgiven us, according to the notions of Calvin." Vazquez, l.c. disp. 131. c 6. The consent of the early Church, in explaining this text of Baptism, may also be inferred from its being used as a lesson in connection with the baptismal service. "Recall," says St. Ambrose, de iis qui mysteriis initiantur, c 7. "that thou hast received a spiritual seal, the spirit (Is. xi. 2.) of holy fear, and keep what thou hast received. God the Father hath sealed, Christ the Lord hath confirmed thee, and given the earnest of the Spirit in your hearts, as thou hast learnt from the lesson out of the Apostles."
Note (F), on page 40.
The Greek Fathers uniformly explain, "washing of water by the word," (Eph. v. 26.) of our Saviour's word of consecration; so St. Chrysostome ad loc. "By what word? In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost." The consent, indeed, of the Greek Fathers is admitted. "Chrysostom," says Estius, "and the other Greeks, and the later Latins, refer this to the mystical words of Baptism." St. Cyril of Jerusalem again, having already spoken of the catechetical instruction or teaching of the word before Baptism, as distinct from this, reminds the catechumens how they had been purified from sin by the Lord "by the washing of water by the word." Catech. 18. § 33. and so also Theodoret, Tlieophylact, Œcumenius. The exposition of the Greeks is of the more importance, since the question depends, in part, upon the use of the word ῥῆμα. Ῥῆμα, namely, is used in the New Testament, of the "command" of God. Matt. iv. 4. Heb. i. 3. xi. 3. Rom. x. 8. (from the ὁ) Eph. vi. 17., or of His "promise," Heb. vi. 5. 1 Pet. i. 25., or of a specific revelation, "the word of the Lord came to," &c. iii. 2. but not in the general sense of revelation written or unwritten. For this there is used the plural ῥήματα, Joh. v. 47. vi. 63, C8. viii. 20, 47, &c., or λόγος.
Of the Latin Fathers, St. Augustine, who is alleged by Estius and Calvin for the contrary, explicity interprets the passage of the Sacramental words, (De nuptiis T. x. p. 298. ed. Bened.). "For so says the Apostle, Eph. v. 25., which is so to be understood; that, by the same washing of regeneration and word of sanctification, all the ills of men, who have been regenerated, are cleansed and healed, not only the sins which are all remitted now at baptism, but those also which may be hereafter contracted by human ignorance or infirmity;" as also in the very passage alleged for the contrary, (Tract. 80 in Johan. T. iii. p.
