Page 154Although these words of Arnobius are somewhat obscure, yet they contain light- enough, to emit rays of divine truth concerning the matter of baptism. For when in the first place he says, that the head of the dragon is broken in baptism. (by dragon meaning Satan), he certainly indicates thereby, that he speaks of persons who, having attained maturer years, become subject to the as-, saults of Satan, and that these, in baptism, break the head of the dragon, that is, Satan, by means of the true faith, through Christ; hence he does not speak of children-who are ignorant of the assaults of Satan-and, consequently, not of infant baptism. Secondly, when he says that men, by the true waiter of baptism, draw nigh to God, he certainly indicates that he speaks of men who have departed from God through disobedience,. consequently; of persons who have arrived at the years.of discretion; and not of infants; for how can. any one draw nigh to God by baptism, who has not departed from Him? Infants have not departed from God through disobedience; hence they cannot draw nigh to Him by baptism. Thirdly, when he speaks of man, who praises the mercy of the Lord, and whose sins the Lord forgives in baptism, he certainly indicates.that he, speaks of men who are capable of praising the mercy of the Lord, namely, men possessing under standing, and who have sinned; for only he that has sinned can have his sins forgiven; but with infants, who have never sinned, no forgiveness can. take place, and consequently, no baptism for the remission of sins. By this the obscure words of Arnobius became clear. NOTE.-P. J. Twisck records, for.the year 306, that Constantine the Great, the son of the believing Helena, was baptized in Jordan,.in the sixtyfifth year of his age, after having been, instructed (Chron. 4th book, page 89, col.,1); from which it is apparent, that at that time Christians left their children unbaptized, in order that they themselves might believe and be baptized. A. D. 308.-Fusca, the pious maiden, conceived a desire for the Christian faith when she was quite young, and, having manifested this desire to the servant maid, Mauro, who also felt an inward drawing toward Christ, they were thoroughly instructed in the Christian f aith at Ravenna,. by the teacher Hermola, and baptized. P. J. Tzerisck, Chron. 4th book, page 90, eol. 1, from Grond. Bew. letter B, Leonh., lib. 2. A. D. 315.-It is stated that already in the time of Sylvester, there was taught and maintained the same doctrine which was afterwards maintained by countless numbers of the baptistic Waldenses, yea, that those churches which in the 11th, 12th; 13th, and in subsequent centuries were styled Waldenses Albigenses, and lastly, Mennonites, or Anabaptists, had existed already at that time, and indeed, long before. Of this a certain celebrated author among the Romanists bitterly complains, in a very old book, saying, "These heretics (the people mentioned above) have always had many sects among them; but of all that ever existed, none was more pernicious to the church of God (understand the Roman church) than the Poor of Lyons (the Waldenses.orAnabaptists), and this for three reasons: In the.first place, because of their antiquity; some asserting that they existed already in the days of Sylvester, others referring them even to the time of the apostles." Jac.. Mehrn., page 615. In another place Jacob Mehrning writes thus about the above-mentioned people, "This is not a new sect that originated only at that time (that is, in the time of Waldus); for the papistic writers themselves confess that they existed already in the time of Pope Sylvester, nay, long before him, even in the time of the apostles." B. H., page 670., In another place he writes that Flaccius has also recorded the salve,,from an ancient papistic book, namely, that they existed from the time of Sylvester, yea, from the time of the apostles; and that Thuanus, though he compares them to another people, states that their doctrine has continued through many centuries." Page 682. The time of the reign of Sylvester, who was the first pope of this name, and on the register of the Roman bishops the 34th, is fixed in the year 315. See P. J. Tze4sck, Chron., 4th book, p. 93, col. l, from Platina, fol. 63. Fasc. Temp., fol. 99, Hist. Georg., lib. 1, Fr. Ala., fol. 22, Chron. Seb. Fr., fol. 13. A. D. 317.-Donatus, an overlearned bishop at Carthage,* who had many adherents in Africa, taught among other things, "That the preaching of the divine Word and the administration of the sacraments by an ungodly minister, were of no avail. They (his followers) held that the church of Christ existed only among them, and hence, they rebaptized all who wished to adopt their religion, saying that the heretics, or the Pope, had no Christian church, and consequently, no baptism, inasmuch as there was only one God, one faith, one Gospel, one church, and one baptism. 'They, like the Anabaptists, also held,' says Franck, 'that no children, even in the extremity of death, should be baptized, but only believing adults who desired it."; When he was imprisoned he upbraided Augustine, saying that no one ought to be imprisoned on account of his faith, God had given man his free will, to believe as he chose. Concerning all this, see, P. J. Tzvisck, Chron., 4th book, p. 93, c'ol. 2, and page 94, col. 1, from Mertda, fol. 255. Zeg., * Seb. Franck notes as the time of the propagation of the doctrine of Donatus the year 334, under the Emperor Constantine, ' He taught," says Franck,"that the Son is less than the Father, and the Holy Spirit less than the Son. This is considered heresy by the Roman church, but when rightly expounded, it may be correct. For Christ Himself with regard to His humanity says, "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). And of the Holy Ghost He says: If I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7); as though the Holy Ghost were less than Himself. Franck further says; that Donatus was an overlearned bishop of Carthage, who had come there from Numidia and maintained that the true and only baptism existed exclusively in his church and faith.-Chron. Rom. Kett., letter D.
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