Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer

Anonymous

Section 10

About this work

Author: Anonymous

10. Besides, what wilt thou say of those who

‹ Section 9 Section 11 ›

are

in

many

cases

baptized

by

bishops

of

very

bad

character

,

who

yet

at

length

,

when

God

so

wills

it

,

convicted

of

their

crimes

,

are

even

deprived

of

their

office

itself

,

or

absolutely

of

communion

?

Or

what

wilt

thou

decide

of

those

who

may

have

been

baptized

by

bishops

,

whose

opinions

are

unsound

,

or

who

are

very

ignorant

—

when

they

may

not

have

spoken

clearly

and

honestly

,

or

even

have

spoken

otherwise

than

is

fit

in

the

tradition

of

the

sacrament

,

or

at

least

may

have

asked

anything

,

or

asking

,

have

heard

from

those

who

answered

what

ought

by

no

means

to

be

so

asked

or

answered

?

And

still

this

does

not

greatly

injure

that

true

faith

of

ours

,

although

,

moreover

,

these

more

simple

men

may

deliver

the

mystery

of

the

faith

without

the

elegance

and

order

that

thou

wouldst

use

.

And

thou

wilt

assuredly

say

,

with

that

marvellous

carefulness

of

thine

,

that

these

too

should

be

baptized

again

,

since

this

is

especially

the

thing

which

is

wanting

to

them

,

or

hinders

their

being

able

to

receive

,

uncorrupted

,

that

divine

and

inviolable

mystery

of

the

faith

.

And

yet

,

O

excellent

man

,

let

us

attribute

and

allow

to

the

heavenly

agencies

their

power

,

and

let

us

concede

to

the

condescension

of

the

divine

majesty

its

appropriate

operations

;

and

understanding

how

great

is

the

advantage

therein

,

let

us

gladly

acquiesce

in

it

.

And

thus

,

as

our

salvation

is

founded

in

the

baptism

of

the

Spirit

,

which

for

the

most

part

is

associated

with

the

baptism

of

water

,

if

indeed

baptism

shall

be

given

by

us

,

let

it

be

conferred

in

its

integrity

and

with

solemnity

,

and

with

all

those

means

which

are

written

;

and

let

it

be

administered

without

any

disconnection

of

anything

.

Or

if

,

by

the

necessity

of

the

case

,

it

should

be

administered

by

an

inferior

cleric

,

let

us

wait

for

the

result

,

that

it

may

either

be

supplied

by

us

,

or

reserved

to

be

supplied

by

the

Lord

.

If

,

however

,

it

should

have

been

administered

by

strangers

,

let

this

matter

be

amended

as

it

can

and

as

it

allows

.

Because

outside

the

Church

there

is

no

Holy

Spirit

,

sound

faith

moreover

cannot

exist

,

not

alone

among

heretics

,

but

even

among

those

who

are

established

in

schism

.

And

for

that

reason

,

they

who

repent

and

are

amended

by

the

doctrine

of

the

truth

,

and

by

their

own

faith

,

which

subsequently

has

been

improved

by

the

purification

of

their

heart

,

ought

to

be

aided

only

by

spiritual

baptism

,

that

is

,

by

the

imposition

of

the

bishop’s

hands

,

and

by

the

ministration

of

the

Holy

Spirit

.

Moreover

,

the

perfect

seal

of

faith

has

been

rightly

accustomed

to

be

given

in

this

manner

and

on

this

principle

in

the

Church

.

So

that

the

invocation

of

the

name

of

Jesus

,

which

cannot

be

done

away

,

may

not

seem

to

be

held

in

disesteem

by

us

;

which

assuredly

is

not

fitting

;

although

such

an

invocation

,

if

none

of

those

things

of

which

we

have

spoken

should

follow

it

,

may

fail

and

be

deprived

of

the

effect

of

salvation

.

For

when

the

apostle

said

that

there

was

“

one

baptism

,

”

it

must

needs

have

been

by

the

continued

effect

of

the

invocation

of

the

name

of

Jesus

,

because

,

once

invoked

,

it

cannot

be

taken

away

by

any

man

,

even

although

we

might

venture

,

against

the

decision

of

the

apostles

,

to

repeat

it

by

giving

too

much

,

yea

,

by

the

desire

of

superadding

baptism

.

If

he

who

returns

to

the

Church

be

unwilling

again

to

be

baptized

,

the

result

will

be

that

we

may

defraud

him

of

the

baptism

of

the

Spirit

,

whom

we

think

we

must

not

defraud

of

the

baptism

of

water

.

Notes

28
Scil. the bishop. [The plural of “solidarity.” See p. 128, note 5, supra, and Elucidation XI. p. 159.]
29
Eph. iv. 5.