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rating themselves from the Communion of the Church) AS EXCOMMUNICATE, and confequently to have loft all Valid Power and Authority for the Adminiftration of Christian Sacraments,being themselves out of the Church: Whereas the Conceal'd Heretick and Evil Minifter, not having feparated themselves from, nor been excluded out of the Church, cannot, during this their Secrefy, lofe that VISIBLE AUTHORITY wherewith they were at first invefted; and we have no OTHER Authority to truft to, except we had the Gift of difcerning Spirits. So that the Reasons against the Validity of Baptifm adminiftred by KNOWN Self-Excommunicate Hereticks and Schifmaticks, will not equally hold good against the Validity of Baptifm conferr'd by UNKNOWN Hereticks and Evil Priefts, who ftill continue in external Communion with the CHURCH, because the former were by the Cyprianifts fuppofed to have not, but the latter have that VISIBLE AUTHORITY and COMMISSION, which Chrift gave them to adminifter his Sacraments, as is plain from the Example of Judas Iscariot, whom our Saviour vefted with the divine Commiffion, notwithstanding his great Wickedness.

Leo Bishop of Rome in his 18th Answer to feveral Queftions put to him by Rufticus Bifhop of Norbonne, Anno 442, fays, "That it is " fufficient to lay Hands upon, and call and call upon the Holy Spirit, over thofe that do rememC 3

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"ber that they have been Baptized, but "know not in what Sect."

Gennadius, a Prieft of Marfeille, affirms, "That there is BUT ONE BAPTISM, and "that we must not baptize them again who "have been baptized by Hereticks, with the Invocation of the Name of the Trinity "but they who have not been baptized in "the Name of the Trinity, ought to be rebaptized, because fuch a Baptifm is not

true.

The fecond Council of Arles, Canon 17, fays, "The Bonofiaci, who baptize as well as "the Arians, in the Name of the Trinity; it "is fufficient to admit them into the Church "by Chrifm, and Impofition of Hands."

St. Gregory, about the latter End of the 6th Century, fpeaking about the Return of feve ral Sorts of Hereticks into the Church, fays, "That they are Baptized when they RE "ENTER into the Church; the Baptifm "which they have received, not being true, "fince it was not given in the Name of the "Trinity. When it is UNCERTAIN whe "ther a Perfon has been Baptized or Con"firmed, we muft Baptize or Confirm them, " rather than fuffer them to perifh in this "Doubt.

Gregory II. a little after, Anno 700, in his Decretal Epiftle, anfwering feveral Questions put to him by Boniface, Article 8, " forbids to Re-baptize thofe who have been once Bap

"tized in the Name of the Trinity, altho' it were by a wicked Prieft.

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"Gregory III. Orders that they fhall be "Baptized again in the Name of the Trinity,. "who have been Baptized by Heathens. And "alfo that thofe fhall be Re-baptized, who "have been Baptized by a Priest that hath "Sacrificed to Jupiter, or eaten Meat offer'd (6 to Idols. Thus far I think may fuffice to have Collected what has been faid about Rebaptization.

And I fhould not have given my felf, or the Reader, the Trouble of this Account of Men's various Judgments and Opinions in this Cafe; were it not that I expected to hear from fome, that I had wholly neglected to search into Antiquity, concerning the Senfe of the Primitive Fathers about it. To Obviate which Objection, and because I have been told, that ❝it becomes me to reft fatisfied in the Deter

minations of the Chriftian Church about "this matter, I thought it not amifs to enquire into them thus far; to the intent, that I might fee whether I could procure any WELL-GROUNDED Satisfaction from their Authority; and indeed I must acknowledge, that if this had been a Thing Indifferent in its own Nature, and not DETERMINED by the Word of God, but left to the Wisdom and Prudence of the Church to Decree as fhe fhould think convenient and neceffary, I ought to have acquiefc'd with her Determinations

If he had in General Council made any about Unauthoriz'dand Anti-Epifcopal Baptifms, which in Truth fhe has not; nor any Provincial Council neither, as it plain by the foregoing Collection.

The Church of Rome has indeed affum'd to herfelf a pretended Power of declaring all Baptifms in or with Water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, by whomfoever adminifter'd, whether by a Woman or Layman, Heretick or Orthodox, Communicant or Schifmatick, of what fort foever, to be Good and Valid: But this Her Determination ought to be brought to the Teft, and weigh'd in the Ballance of the Sanctuary.

Baptifm, and all things Effential thereto, are Fundamentals of Chriftianity; 'tis (in the Apoftles Stile)a Principle of the Doctrine of Christ, 'tis a Pofitive Institution made by God Himself; and the Holy Scriptures as interpreted by the Doctrine and Practice of the Primitive Catholick Church, are CLEAR ENQUGH for the Determination of all the Neceffaries thereof, as well as of all other Fundamental Points of our Religion; and therefore the Decrees of fome Particular Fathers and Councils have no more weight with me in this matter (of Lay-Baptifm) than what they receive from their Conformity to those Divine Qracles, which are the only Original Rule of our Faith and Practice in Fundamentals, as all found Proteftants have affirm'd.

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If any fhall ask me, who must be Judge between you and the Councils? I answer, The fame that must be Judge between the Contradictious Canons of Different Councils; the fame that must be Judge between me, and a Council that Commands me to Worship Saints and Angels, &c. Now who this is upon Earth, I cannot tell; a Living Infallible Judge we have none; and therefore I must look for a Rule or Guide, i. e. the Holy Scripture; and if the Councils and I Differ about this Rule, I must have recourfe to the BEST and PUREST Ages of Chriftianity, and fee what the Apoftolick Fathers, and the Councils next after them, understood by that Rule. After all, I muft be allow'd a Judgment of Difcretion for my felf; in Conjunction with these, and a JUST DEFERENCE to the Canons of that particular Church whereof I am, or ought to be a Member; and by all thefe Methods, I am brought to conclude for my felf, that Lay-Baptifm, BY ONE IN OPPOSITION to the Church, can never be Good and Valid.

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'Tis by this Rule that I reckon the Councils of Carthage, Iconium and Synnada, together with the Customs of the Afiatick and African Churches, confirming St. Cyprian's Doctrine, have as much (if not more) Authority to fway my Judgement in the Matter of Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms; as the Council of Arles, and the After-Determinations of other Coun

cils

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