Chapter 8.—9. When he hears, "Every good tree bringeth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit: do men gather grapes of thorns?"1933
and, "A good man out of the good
treasure of his
heart bringeth forth good things, and an
evil man out of the
evil treasure bringeth forth
evil things;"
1934
he will answer, This therefore is good fruit, that I should be a good
tree, that is, a good man, that I should show forth good fruit, that is, good works. But this will be given to me, not by him that planteth, nor by him that watereth, but by
God that giveth the increase. For if the good
tree be the good baptizer, so that his good fruit should be the man whom he baptizes, then any one who has been
baptized by a bad man, even if his
wickedness be not manifest, will have
no
power to be good, for he is sprung from an
evil tree. For a good
tree is one thing; a
tree whose quality is concealed, but yet bad, is another. Or if, when the
tree is bad, but hides its badness, then whosoever is
baptized by it is
born not of it, but of
Christ; then they are justified with more
perfect holiness who are
baptized by the bad who hide their evil nature, than they who are baptized by the manifestly good.
1935
| 1935 See below, Book II. 6, 12.
|
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