Chapter 45.—88. Also another Aurelius of Chullabi1875
| 1875 Chullabi, or Cululi, was in ecclesiastical province of Byzacium. For Aurelius, cp. c. 5.
|
said: "The
Apostle John has laid down in his
epistle the following
precept: ‘If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him
God speed: for he that biddeth him
God speed is partaker of his
evil deeds.’
1876
How can such men be admitted without consideration into the
house of
God, who are forbidden to be admitted into our private
house? Or how can we hold
communion with them without the
baptism of
Christ, when, if we only so much as bid them
God speed, we are partakers of their
evil deeds?"
1877
| 1877 Conc. Carth. sec. 81.
|
89. In respect of this testimony of John there is no need of further disputation, since it has no reference at all to the question of baptism, which we are at present discussing. For he says, "If any come unto you, and bring not the doctrine of Christ." But heretics leaving the doctrine of their error are converted to the doctrine of Christ, that they may be incorporated with the Church, and may begin to belong to the members of that Dove whose sacrament they
previously had; and therefore what previously they lacked belonging to it is given to them, that is to say, peace and charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.1878
But what they previously had belonging to the
Dove is acknowledged, and received without any depreciation; just as in the adulteress
God recognises His
gifts, even when she is following her
lovers; because when after her
fornication is corrected she is turned again to chastity, those
gifts are not laid to her charge, but she herself is corrected.
1879
But just as Cyprian might have
defended himself if this
testimony of John had been cast in his teeth whilst he was holding
communion with men like these, so let those against whom it is spoken make their own
defense. For to the
question before us, as I said before, it has no reference at all. For John says that we are not to bid
God speed to men of
strange doctrine; but
Paul the
apostle says, with even greater vehemence, "If any man that is called a
brother be covetous,
or a drunkard," or anything of the sort, with such an one no not to eat;
1880
and yet Cyprian used to admit to
fellowship, not with his private table, but with the altar of God, his colleagues who were usurers, and treacherous, and fraudulent, and robbers. But in what manner this may be defended has been sufficiently set forth in other books already.
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