From Antipin’s Potrebnik. Chapter 5.
After the usual beginning, at the font we light three candles.
The seven-bow beginning:
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. (Bow)
O Lord, who created me, have mercy on me. (Bow)
I have sinned immeasurably. Lord, forgive, and have mercy on me, a sinner. (Bow)
It is truly meet to bless thee, O God-bearer, ever-blessed and most unblemished, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and truly more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word; who art the God-bearer, thee do we magnify. (Prostration)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. (Bow)
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Bow)
Lord have mercy. (Thrice). Lord, bless. (Bow)
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, throught the prayers of thy Most-Pure Mother, by the power of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross, and of my holy guardian Angel, and through the prayers of all the saints, have mercy on me, and save me a sinner, for thou art Good, and the Lover of mankind. (Prostration without the sign of the cross).
Then the superior himself, after the usual beginning, performs the following prayers:
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen. (Bow)
O Heavenly King, Comforter, True Spirit, which art everywhere and fillest all, Treasury of blessings and giver of life: come and dwell in us; and cleanse us from every defilement, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice with bows)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, cleanse us of our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for thy names sake.
Lord have mercy. (Thrice) Glory. Now and ever.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our needful bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. (Bow)
Amen. Lord have mercy. (12 times) Glory. Now and ever.
Come, let us worship the King, our God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship Christ, the King and our God. (Bow)
Come, let us worship and fall down before the very Lord Jesus Christ, the King and our God. (Bow)
Psalm 50. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness; according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight: that thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: and uphold me with a free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
While the Psalm is being read, or after the reading, censing of the icons and the font with incense, with the usual bows, these petitions:
O merciful Lord, cleanse, sanctify, and bless this house. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, cleanse, sanctify, and bless all who have been in this house; preserve them and have mercy. (Thrice)
These two petitions are used when they baptize in that same house where the birth occurred, and for the sanctification of the house it would be beneficial to serve a moleben to the Savior or to the Cross. But if they baptize not in the house where the birth was, then we begin these petitions:
O compassionate Lord, look upon thy suffering handmaid [name]; cleanse her from every spiritual and bodily defilement, preserve her, and have mercy. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon the newborn child and bless him/her to be named by the name of the saint [name—here we name the name of that saint by which we wish to call the newborn] preserve him/her and have mercy. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon the newborn child [name]; cleanse him from every evil spirit, preserve him, and have mercy. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon the newborn child [name], that the light of thy face may be signed upon him; preserve him, and have mercy. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon the newborn child [name], and fill him with the faith and love that is in thee; save him, and have mercy, (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon the newborn child [name], and make him a rational lamb of thy holy flock; save him, and have mercy, (Thrice)
Thereafter the sponsors say: O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, unto thee I come, and I worship, and I believe in thee the only God—Father and Son and Holy Ghost—and I promise to serve thee only, and I renounce Satan and all his works. (Thrice)
Thereafter: I believe in one God, thrice:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all the visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, who from the Father is begotten before all ages. Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, but not created, of one essence with the Father; by him all things came to be. For us men and for our salvation he came down from the heavens, and was made flesh of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary, becoming man. Who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. And resurrected on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into the heavens, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And is coming again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom has no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, True and Life-giving, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son art worshipped and glorified, who spake the prophets. And in one holy, conciliar, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism unto remission of sins. I await the resurrection for the dead. And of the life of the age to come. Amen.
If there are sponsors, then they also read the “I believe.” Sponsors must necessarily be from the brethren, but outsiders are not permitted.
Then with the usual bows these petitions:
O merciful Lord, bless and sanctify this water by thy Holy Ghost. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon the newborn child [name]; vouchsafe him the great grace of holy baptism, wash him from every defilement, and regenerate him unto eternal life. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, hear the prayer of thy servants who pray unto thee. (Once)
Lord have mercy. (12 times, with bows on the first three)
Thereafter the baptizer, rolling up his sleeves, takes the infant, holding him with his face toward the icons, saying:
O Christ, true Light, who enlightenest and sanctifiest every man coming into the world, enlighten also this child [name].
And he immerses (him/her) in the water, saying:
The servant of God [name] is baptized in the name of the Father, amen.
Immersing him wholly in the water and raising him up:
And of the Son, amen. (Immersing him again)
And (of) the Holy Ghost, amen. (Immersing—that is, holding the infant with his face toward the icons, and at each invocation of the one name of the Holy Trinity, immersing him in the water and raising him up, so that there is a threefold immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity.)
And placing the infant on a clean cloth into the hands of the godfather, and the godfather places him into the hands of the godmother, if there is one. One godparent alone is permitted.
Thereafter the baptizer washes his hands over the font, wipes them with a clean cloth, extinguishes the candles at the font, and with bows they say these petitions:
O merciful Lord, vouchsafe thy newly illumined servant [name] the gift of the Holy Ghost; save him, and have mercy. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, look upon thy newly illumined servant [name]; appoint him a guardian angel for all the days of his life, preserve him, and have mercy. (Thrice)
O merciful Lord, hear the prayer of thy servants who pray unto thee. (Once)
Lord have mercy (Twelve times, the first three with bows)
Thereafter, taking the cross with its cord, the shirt, and the belt, placing them on the infant, and putting the cross upon him, and in a low voice says this:
The servant of God [name] is clothed in the armor of the holy Cross and in the robe of incorruption, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, amen.
And they sing the irmos:
Give me a bright robe, O thou who art clothed with light as with a garment, O greatly merciful Christ our God.
As many as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia. (Thrice)
Psalm 31: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose trappings must be bit and bridle to hold them in, else they will not come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Glory. Now and ever. Now lettest thou thy servant depart, O Master, in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Thereafter: Trisagion. Our Father. And the troparia and kontakia of the day, and of the temple, and of the angels, and of the saints, according to desire.
Prokeimen, tone 3: The Lord is my light and my Savior; whom shall I fear?
Verse: The Lord is the defender of my life; whom shall I fear?
Epistle to the Romans, reading 91. Brethren, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, into his death were we baptized. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ arose from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also in newness of life might begin to walk. For if we became conformable to the likeness of his death, yet we shall be partakers of the resurrection also. This knowing, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, so that we should no longer serve sin. For he that died is justified from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ rose from the dead and dies no more; death no longer has dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once for all, but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Alleluia. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters.
Gospel from Matthew, reading 116. At that time, the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came near and spake unto them, saying, All authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days, even unto the end of the age. Amen.
Thereafter, as much as possible with bows: to the Savior, to the Cross, to the God-bearer, to the angels, and to the saint whose name was given, and the rest, and these petitions:
O merciful Lord, bless, preserve, and have mercy upon thy newly illumined servant [name]. (Three bows)
Do likewise for the sponsors, and the parents, and all orthodox Christians.
O merciful Lord, hear the prayer of thy servants who pray unto thee. (One bow). Lord have mercy. (40 times with 3 bows)
O thou who at every time and every hour, in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and glorified, O gracious God; O Lord, do thou thyself receive our prayers at this hour, and in thy goodness make straight our life unto thy commandments. Sanctify our souls and purify our bodies; set straight our reason, and cleanse our thoughts. Make chaste and sober our minds, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil, pain, and the passions of the soul; and surround us with thy holy angels, so that guarded and guided by their host, we may attain unto the unity of faith, and unto the understanding of thine unapproachable glory. For thou art blessed unto the ages. Amen
Thereafter: they bring the infant near to the icons, to the Cross, and to the God-bearer with prayer in a low (secret) voice.
Lord have mercy, thrice. Glory… now and ever: More honorable than the cherubim, glory… now and ever, with bows, and the dismissal.
At the dismissal we commemorate: the name of the saint whose name was given, and the guardian angel.
After the dismissal it is necessary to instruct the sponsors: that they should strive to raise their godchild as a spiritual son in the law of the Lord.
If it happens that two or more are to be baptized at one time, then it is not permitted to baptize all in one (same) water; change the water for each, and read the prayers for each separately, and after the baptism pour out the water in a clean place, so that it not be trodden underfoot (Great Book of Needs, chapter 15, folio 103).
From holy scripture, concerning baptism by laymen:
- For our Lord Jesus Christ commanded many apostles not having priesthood to baptize.
- In necessity, for lack of a pious priest, it is possible for a lay Christian to baptize, even the father himself.
- If men and women baptize, divine grace accomplishes (it), even if it does not fall to a priest to complete (it) (Nomocanon, folios 65: 40 and 90, 67).
- The venerable Archippus, a layman, taught and baptized many (Menaion, September 6).
- The martyr Potitus, a layman, taught and baptized many (Menaion, July 1).
- Saint Mariamne, sister of the holy apostle Philip, taught and baptized many (Prologue, February 17).
In the writings there are very many indications concerning baptism by laymen. But for brevity they are omitted.
