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A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer

Anonymous

Section 6

About this work

Author: Anonymous

6. And this also,—looking at it from

‹ Section 5 Section 7 ›

the

opposite

side

of

this

discussion

,

—

those

disciples

of

our

Lord

themselves

attained

,

upon

whom

,

being

previously

baptized

,

the

Holy

Spirit

at

length

came

down

on

the

day

of

Pentecost

,

descending

from

heaven

indeed

by

the

will

of

God

,

not

of

His

own

accord

,

but

effused

for

this

very

office

,

and

moreover

upon

each

one

of

them

.

Although

these

were

already

righteous

,

and

,

as

we

have

said

,

had

been

baptized

by

the

Lord’s

baptism

even

as

the

apostles

themselves

,

who

nevertheless

are

found

on

the

night

on

which

He

was

apprehended

to

have

all

deserted

Him

.

And

even

Peter

himself

,

who

boasted

that

he

would

persevere

in

his

faith

,

and

most

obstinately

resisted

the

prediction

of

the

Lord

Himself

,

yet

at

last

denied

Him

,

that

by

this

means

it

might

be

shown

to

us

,

that

whatever

sins

they

had

contracted

in

the

meantime

and

in

any

manner

,

these

same

sins

,

by

the

faith

in

them

subsequently

attested

as

sincere

,

were

without

doubt

put

away

by

the

baptism

of

the

Holy

Spirit

.

Nor

,

as

I

think

,

was

it

for

any

other

reason

that

the

apostles

had

charged

those

whom

they

addressed

in

the

Holy

Spirit

,

that

they

should

be

baptized

in

the

name

of

Christ

Jesus

,

except

that

the

power

of

the

name

of

Jesus

invoked

upon

any

man

by

baptism

might

afford

to

him

who

should

be

baptized

no

slight

advantage

for

the

attainment

of

salvation

,

as

Peter

relates

in

the

Acts

of

the

Apostles

,

saying

:

“

For

there

is

none

other

name

under

heaven

given

among

men

whereby

we

must

be

saved

.

”

As

also

the

Apostle

Paul

unfolds

,

showing

that

God

hath

exalted

our

Lord

Jesus

,

and

“

given

Him

a

name

,

that

it

may

be

above

every

name

,

that

in

the

name

of

Jesus

all

should

bow

the

knee

,

of

things

heavenly

and

earthly

,

and

under

the

earth

,

and

every

tongue

should

confess

that

Jesus

is

Lord

in

the

glory

of

God

the

Father

.

”

And

he

on

whom

,

when

he

should

be

baptized

,

invocation

should

be

made

in

the

name

of

Jesus

,

although

he

might

obtain

baptism

under

some

error

,

still

would

not

be

hindered

from

knowing

the

truth

at

some

time

or

another

,

and

correcting

his

error

,

and

coming

to

the

Church

and

to

the

bishop

,

and

sincerely

confessing

our

Jesus

before

men

;

so

that

then

,

when

hands

were

laid

upon

him

by

the

bishop

,

he

might

also

receive

the

Holy

Spirit

,

and

he

would

not

lose

that

former

invocation

of

the

name

of

Jesus

.

Which

none

of

us

may

disallow

,

although

this

invocation

,

if

it

be

standing

bare

and

by

itself

,

could

not

suffice

for

affording

salvation

,

lest

on

this

principle

we

should

believe

that

even

Gentiles

and

heretics

,

who

abuse

the

name

of

Jesus

,

could

attain

unto

salvation

without

the

true

and

entire

thing

.

Yet

it

is

extremely

useful

to

believe

that

this

invocation

of

the

name

of

Jesus

,

together

with

the

correction

of

error

and

the

acknowledgment

of

the

belief

of

the

truth

,

and

with

the

putting

away

of

all

stain

of

past

conversation

,

if

rightly

performed

with

the

mystery

of

God

among

men

of

this

kind

,

obtains

a

place

which

it

would

not

have

had

,

and

finally

,

in

the

true

faith

and

for

the

maintenance

of

the

integrity

of

the

sign

,

is

no

hindrance

,

when

its

supplement

which

had

been

wanting

is

added

;

and

that

it

is

consistent

with

good

reason

,

with

the

authority

of

so

many

years

,

and

so

many

churches

and

apostles

and

bishops

;

even

as

it

is

the

very

greatest

disadvantage

and

damage

to

our

most

holy

mother

Church

,

now

for

the

first

time

suddenly

and

without

reason

to

rebel

against

former

decisions

after

so

long

a

series

of

so

many

ages

.

For

not

for

any

other

reason

Peter

—

who

had

already

been

baptized

and

had

been

asked

what

he

thought

of

the

Lord

by

the

Lord

Himself

,

and

the

truth

of

the

revelation

of

the

Father

in

heaven

being

bestowed

on

him

had

confessed

that

Christ

was

not

only

our

Lord

,

but

was

the

Son

of

the

living

God

—

was

shown

subsequently

to

have

withstood

the

same

Christ

when

He

made

announcement

of

His

passion

,

and

therefore

was

set

forth

as

being

called

Satan

.

For

no

other

reason

except

because

it

would

come

to

pass

that

some

,

although

varying

in

their

own

judgment

,

and

somewhat

halting

in

faith

and

doctrine

,

although

they

were

baptized

in

the

name

of

Jesus

,

yet

,

if

they

had

been

able

to

rescind

their

error

in

some

interval

of

time

,

were

not

on

that

account

cut

off

from

salvation

;

but

at

any

time

that

they

had

come

to

the

right

mind

,

obtained

by

repentance

a

sound

hope

of

salvation

,

especially

when

they

received

the

Holy

Spirit

,

to

be

baptized

by

Whom

is

the

duty

of

every

man

,

they

would

have

intended

some

such

thing

.

Even

as

we

do

not

apprehend

that

Peter

in

the

Gospel

suffered

this

alone

,

but

all

the

disciples

,

to

whom

,

though

already

baptized

,

the

Lord

afterwards

says

,

that

“

all

ye

shall

be

offended

in

me

,

”

all

of

whom

,

as

we

observe

,

having

amended

their

faith

,

were

baptized

after

the

Lord’s

resurrection

with

the

Holy

Spirit

.

So

that

not

without

reason

we

also

in

the

present

day

may

believe

that

men

,

amended

from

their

former

error

,

may

be

baptized

in

the

Holy

Spirit

,

who

,

although

they

were

baptized

with

water

in

the

name

of

the

Lord

,

might

have

had

a

faith

somewhat

imperfect

.

Because

it

is

of

great

importance

whether

a

man

is

not

baptized

at

all

in

the

name

of

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

,

or

indeed

whether

in

some

respect

he

halts

when

he

is

baptized

with

the

baptism

of

water

,

which

is

of

less

account

provided

that

afterwards

a

sincere

faith

in

the

truth

is

evident

in

the

baptism

of

the

Spirit

,

which

undoubtedly

is

of

greater

account

.

Notes

15
Acts iv. 12.
16
Mark xiv. 27.