Chapter 36.—42. But after this, when Petilianus came to that objection of ours, that they allowed the baptism of the followers of Maximianus, whom they had condemned,2400
| 2400 See Book I. cc. 10, 11, 11, 12.
|
—although in the statement of this
question he thought it right to use his own words rather than mine; for neither do we assert that the
baptism of
sinners is of
profit to us, seeing that we maintain it to
belong not only to no
sinners, but to no men whatsoever, in that we are satisfied that it is
Christ’s alone,—having put the
question in this form, he says, "Yet you obstinately aver that it is right that the
baptism of
sinners should be of
profit
to you, because we too, according to your statement, maintained the
baptism of criminals whom we justly
condemned." When he came to this
question, as I said before, even all the show of
fight which he had made deserted him. He could not find any way to go, any means of
escape, any path by which, either through subtle watching or
bold enterprise, he could either secretly
steal away, or sally forth by force. "Although this," he says, "I will demonstrate in my second book, how great the
difference is between those of our party and those of yours whom you call
innocent, yet, in the meantime, first extricate yourselves from the offenses with which you are acquainted in your colleagues, and then
seek out the mode of dealing with those whom we cast out." Would any one, any man upon the
earth, give an answer like this,
save one who is setting himself against the
truth, against which he cannot find any answer that can be made? Accordingly, if we too were to use the same words: In
the meantime, first extricate yourselves from the offenses with which you are acquainted in your colleagues, and then bring up against us any charge connected with those whom you hold to be
wicked amongst us,—what is the result? Have we both won the
victory, or are we both defeated? Nay, rather He has
gained the
victory for His
Church and in His
Church, who has taught us in His Scriptures that no man should
glory in men, and that he that glorieth should
glory in the
Lord.
2401
For behold in our case who assert with the eloquence of
truth that the man who believes is not justified by him by whom he is
baptized, but by Him of whom it is written, "To him that believeth on Him that justifieth the
ungodly, his
faith is
counted for
righteousness,"
2402
since we do not
glory in men, and
strive, when we
glory, to
glory in the
Lord in
virtue of His own
gift, how wholly
safe are we, whatever fault or charge Petilianus may have been able to
prove concerning certain men of our
communion! For among us, whatever
wicked men are either wholly undetected, or, being known to certain persons, are yet tolerated for the sake of the
bond of
unity and
peace, in consideration of other good men to whom their
wickedness is unknown, and
before whom they could not be
convicted, in order that the
wheat may not be rooted up together with the tares, yet they so bear the burden of their own
wickedness, that no one shares it with them except those who are pleased with their
unrighteousness. Nor indeed have we any apprehension that those whom they
baptize cannot be justified, since they believe in Him that justifieth the ungodly that their faith may be counted for righteousness.
2403
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