Chapter 12.—18. What if he approached baptism itself in deceit? were his sins remitted, or were they not? Let them choose which they will. Whichever they choose will answer our purpose. If they say they were remitted, how then shall "the Holy Spirit of discipline flee deceit,"1184
if in him who was full of
deceit He
worked remission of
sins? If they say they were not remitted, I ask whether, if he should afterwards confess his
sin with contrition of
heart and true
sorrow, it would be judged that he ought to be
baptized again. And if it is mere madness to assert this, then let them confess that a man can be
baptized with the true
baptism of
Christ, and that yet his
heart, persisting in
malice or
sacrilege, may not allow
remission of
sins to be
given; and so let them understand that men may be
baptized in communions severed from the
Church, in which
Christ’s
baptism is given and received in the said celebration of the sacrament, but that it will only then be of avail for the
remission of
sins, when the recipient, being
reconciled to the
unity of the
Church, is
purged from the
sacrilege of
deceit, by which his
sins were retained, and their
remission prevented. For, as in the case of him who had approached the sacrament in
deceit there
is no second
baptism, but he is
purged by
faithful discipline and truthful confession, which he could not be without
baptism, so that what was given before becomes then
powerful to
work his
salvation, when the former
deceit is done away by the truthful confession; so also in the case of the man who, while an
enemy to the
peace and
love of
Christ, received in any
heresy or
schism the
baptism of
Christ, which the schismatics in
question had not lost from among them, though by his
sacrilege his
sins were not remitted, yet, when he corrects his error, and comes over to the
communion and
unity of the
Church, he ought not to be again
baptized: because by his very reconciliation to the
peace of the
Church he receives this benefit, that the sacrament now begins in
unity to be of avail for the
remission of his
sins, which could not so avail him as received in
schism.
19. But if they should say that in the man who has approached the sacrament in deceit, his sins are indeed removed by the holy power of so great a sacrament at the moment when he received it, but return immediately in consequence of his deceit: so that the Holy Spirit has both been present with him at his baptism for the removal of his sins, and has also fled before his perseverance in deceit so that they should return: so that both declarations prove true,—both,
"As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ;" and also, "The holy spirit of discipline will flee deceit;"—that is to say, that both the holiness of baptism clothes him with Christ, and the sinfulness of deceit strips him of Christ; like the case of a man who passes from darkness through light into darkness again, his eyes being always directed towards darkness, though the light cannot but penetrate them as he passes;—if they should say this, let them
understand that this is also the case with those who are baptized without the pale of the Church, but yet with the baptism of the Church, which is holy in itself, wherever it may be; and which therefore belongs not to those who separate themselves, but to the body from which they are separated; while yet it avails even among them so far, that they pass through its light back to their own darkness, their sins, which in that moment had been dispelled by the holiness of baptism, returning
immediately upon them, as though it were the darkness returning which the light had dispelled while they were passing through it.
20. For that sins which have been remitted do return upon a man, where there is no brotherly love, is most clearly taught by our Lord, in the case of the servant whom He found owing Him ten thousand talents, and to whom He yet forgave all at his entreaty. But when he refused to have pity on his fellow-servant who owed him a hundred pence, the Lord commanded him to pay what He had forgiven him. The time, then, at which pardon is received through baptism is as
it were the time for rendering accounts, so that all the debts which are found to be due may be remitted. Yet it was not afterwards that the servant lent his fellow-servant the money, which he had so pitilessly exacted when the other was unable to pay it; but his fellow-servant already owed him the debt, when he himself, on rendering his accounts to his master, was excused a debt of so vast an amount. He had not first excused his fellow-servant, and so come to receive forgiveness from his
Lord. This is proved by the words of the fellow-servant: "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." Otherwise he would have said, "You forgave me it before; why do you again demand it?" This is made more clear by the words of the Lord Himself. For He says, "But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants which was owing1185
| 1185 Debebat. Hieron, debebat, LXX. ὤφειλεν.
|
him a
hundred pence."
1186
He does not say, "To whom he had already
forgiven a
debt of a
hundred pence." Since then He says, "was owing him," it is clear that he had not
forgiven him the
debt. And indeed it would have been better, and more in accordance with the position of a man who was going to render an account of so great a
debt, and expected forbearance from his
lord, that he should first have
forgiven his fellow-
servant what was due to him, and so have come to render the account when there
was such need for imploring the
compassion of his
lord. Yet the fact that he had not yet
forgiven his fellow-
servant, did not prevent his
lord from forgiving him all his
debts on the occasion of receiving his accounts. But what
advantage was it to him, since they all immediately returned with redoubled force upon his head, in consequence of his persistent want of
charity? So the
grace of
baptism is not prevented from giving
remission of all
sins, even if he to whom they are
forgiven
continues to cherish
hatred towards his
brother in his
heart. For the guilt of yesterday is remitted, and all that was before it, nay, even the guilt of the very hour and moment previous to baptism, and during baptism itself. But then he immediately begins again to be responsible, not only for the days, hours, moments which ensue, but also for the past,—the guilt of all the sins which were remitted returning on him, as happens only too frequently in the Church.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
