Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer

Anonymous

Section 16

About this work

Author: Anonymous

16. But since the first part of this argument

‹ Section 15 Section 17 ›

seems

to

be

unfolded

,

we

ought

to

touch

on

its

subsequent

part

,

on

account

of

the

heretics

;

because

it

is

very

necessary

not

to

pass

over

that

discussion

which

once

falls

into

our

hands

,

lest

perchance

some

heretic

should

dare

,

of

his

subtlety

,

to

assail

those

of

our

brethren

who

are

more

simple

.

For

because

John

said

that

we

must

be

baptized

in

the

Holy

Ghost

and

in

fire

,

from

the

fact

that

he

went

on

to

say

and

fire

,

some

desperate

men

have

dared

to

such

an

extent

to

carry

their

depravity

,

and

therefore

very

crafty

men

seek

how

they

can

thus

corrupt

and

violate

,

and

even

neutralize

the

baptism

of

holiness

.

Who

derive

the

origin

of

their

notion

from

Simon

Magus

,

practising

it

with

manifold

perversity

through

various

errors

;

to

whom

Simon

Peter

,

in

the

Acts

of

the

Apostles

,

said

,

“

Thy

money

perish

with

thee

,

because

thou

hast

thought

that

the

grace

of

God

could

be

possessed

by

money

;

thou

hast

neither

part

nor

lot

in

this

work

;

for

thy

heart

is

not

right

with

God

.

”

And

such

men

as

these

do

all

these

things

in

the

desire

to

deceive

those

who

are

more

simple

or

more

inquisitive

.

And

some

of

them

try

to

argue

that

they

only

administer

a

sound

and

perfect

,

not

as

we

,

a

mutilated

and

curtailed

baptism

,

which

they

are

in

such

wise

said

to

designate

,

that

immediately

they

have

descended

into

the

water

,

fire

at

once

appears

upon

the

water

.

Which

if

it

can

be

effected

by

any

trick

,

as

several

tricks

of

this

kind

are

affirmed

to

be

—

of

Anaxilaus

—

whether

it

is

anything

natural

,

by

means

of

which

this

may

happen

,

or

whether

they

think

that

they

behold

this

,

or

whether

the

work

and

magical

poison

of

some

malignant

being

can

force

fire

from

the

water

;

still

they

declare

such

a

deceit

and

artifice

to

be

a

perfect

baptism

,

which

if

faithful

men

have

been

forced

to

receive

,

there

will

assuredly

be

no

doubt

but

that

they

have

lost

that

which

they

had

.

Just

as

,

if

a

soldier

after

taking

an

oath

should

desert

his

camp

,

and

in

the

very

different

camp

of

the

enemy

should

wish

to

take

an

oath

of

a

far

other

kind

,

it

is

plain

that

in

this

way

he

is

discharged

from

his

old

oath

.

Notes

52
Acts viii. 20, 21.