Chapter 14.—22. Lucius of Castra Galbæ1627
| 1627 Castra Galbæ was most likely in Numidia. Lucius as bishop occurs in Cypr. Epp. lxvii., lxx., lxxvi.and lxxvii., but it is doubtful to which of the four of this name attendant on this council these references may apply.
|
said: "Since the
Lord hath said in His
gospel, ‘Ye are the
salt of the
earth: but if the
salt have lost his
savor, that which is salted from it shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men;’
1628
| 1628 Matt. v. 13. "Id quod salietur ex eo, ad nihilum valebit."
|
and seeing that again, after His resurrection, when sending forth His
apostles, He commanded them, saying, ‘All
power is given unto me in
heaven and in
earth: go ye therefore, and
teach all
nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost,’
1629
—since then it is plain that
heretics, that is, the
enemies of
Christ, have not the full confession of the sacrament, also that schismatics cannot reason with
spiritual wisdom, since they themselves, by withdrawing when they have lost their
savor from the
Church, which is one, have become contrary to it,
1630
| 1630 Recedendo infatuati contrarii facti sunt. Dr. Routh from a Ms. in his own possession, inserts "et" after "infatuati."—"have lost their savor and become contrary to the Church." Rel. Sac. iii. p. 194.
|
let that be done which is written, ‘The
houses of those that are opposed to the
law must needs be cleansed;’
1631
and it therefore follows that those who have been polluted by being
baptized by men opposed to
Christ should first be cleansed, and only then
baptized."
1632
| 1632 Conc. Carth. sec. 7.
|
23. Lucius of Castra Galbæ has brought forward a proof from the gospel, in the words of the Lord, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, that which is salted from it shall be good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men;" just as though we maintained that men when cast out were of any profit for the salvation either of themselves or of any one else. But those also who, though seeming to be within, are
yet of such a kind, not only are without spiritually, but will in the end be separated in the body also. For all such are for nothing. But it does not therefore follow that the sacrament of baptism which is in them is nothing. For even in the very men who are cast out, if they return to their senses and come back, the salvation which had departed from them returns; but the baptism does not return, because it never had departed. And in what the Lord says, "Go therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," He did not permit any to baptize except the good, inasmuch as He did not say to the bad, "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained."1633
How then do the
wicked baptize within, who cannot remit
sins? How also is it that they
baptize the
wicked whose
hearts are not changed, whose
sins are yet upon them, as John says, "He that hateth his
brother is in
darkness even until now?"
1634
But if the
sins of these men are remitted when they join themselves in the close
bonds of
love to the good and just, through whom
sins are remitted in the
Church, though they have been
baptized by the
wicked, so the
sins of those also are remitted who come from without and join themselves by the inner
bond of
peace to the same framework of the body of
Christ. Yet the
baptism of
Christ should be acknowledged in both, and held invalid in none, whether before they are
converted, though then it
profit them nothing, or after they are
converted, that so it may
profit them, as he says, "Since they themselves, by withdrawing when they have lost their
savor from the
Church, which is one, have become contrary to it, let that be done which is written, ‘The
houses of those that are opposed to the
law must need be cleansed.’ And it therefore follows," he goes on to say, "that those who have been polluted by being
baptized by men opposed to
Christ should first be
cleansed, and only then
baptized." What then? Are
thieves and murderers not contrary to the
law, which says, "Thou shalt not
kill; thou shalt not
steal?"
1635
"They must therefore needs be cleansed." Who will deny it? And yet not only those who are
baptized by such within the
Church, but also those who, being such themselves, are
baptized without being changed in
heart, are nevertheless exempt from further
baptism when they are so changed. So great is the force of the sacrament of mere
baptism, that though we allow that a man who has been baptized and continues to lead an evil life requires to be cleansed, we yet forbid him
to be any more baptized.
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
