ST. CHRYSOSTOM.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sin,—In your notice of Mr. Stephens' "Life of Clarysostom there occurs the following sentence :—" Though the son of a. Christian mother, he had reached years of maturity before receiv- ing baptism. Mr. Stephens makes the not improbable conjeature that he was unwilling to receive it at the hands of an Arian bishop, and Arian bishops continued for many years to preside over the- Church of Antioch ; some orthodox priest might, however, have been easily found ; anyhow, the delay is singularly at variance- with our notions and, habits."
Will you allow me to point out that this conjecture will not. bear examination ? The orthodox bishop, Meletius, who baptised Chrysostom when he was twenty-one years of age, had presided over the Church at Antioch for -ten years previously. However, the delay may appear at variance with modern notions, there-was nothing remarkable at that period. St. Ambrose and St. Augus- tine, the contemporaries of St. Chrysostom, were both nurtured in, the Christian faith by pious mothers, and both received-baptism when over thirty years of age. In fact, infant baptism had not become general till after- the close of the fourth century.—I am,.
Sir, am., H. C. LEObTARD. [But St: Augustine w'as certainly baptised directly on his con- version by Ambrose. St. Chrysostem, like St. Ambrose, seems to have been a Christian long before his baptism.—En. .Spec.tator.1
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