Page 156innovations in the church, it was resolved among other things: "Canon 21. The Paulianists and Photinians shall be rebaptized."; "Canon 12. If any apostatize under persecution, without having been tormented, and sincerely repent, they shall be put among the catechumens for five years, and after two more years, shall be reinstated among the faithful, with prayer."; Canon 13. But they who, for the sake of the confession of the faith, have relinquished the military profession and again return to it, shall do penance for thirteen years, and then be received again; however, if they truly repent, the bishop is authorized to mitigate the term of penance, provided he sees that their repentance is fruitful and devout."; "Canor. 15. Concerning the catechumens who have apostatized, it is decided, that they shall be excluded from the prayers of the catechumens who have not apostatized, for three years, and at the end of that time be received back again." Jac. Mehrn., pages 352, 353, ex Conch. Nicer. Secund. Ruin. This is the great Council which is extolled as orthodox and Christian by nearly all so-called Christians. Be this as it may, we see no reason to praise it so highly, seeing that we must honor the precepts of God's holy Word alone, whereas the rules of that council were made by fallible men. Yet, so far as these men have laid down precepts that accord with the precepts of God's holy Word, or, at least, do not militate against them, so far we accept, or, at least, do not oppose them.* When it is said, in Canon 21, that the Paulianist and Photinians shall be rebaptized, it establishes, that, according to the Holy Scriptures, not every baptism is a genuine or true baptism, and that consequently there is but one baptism which can in truth be called genuine, namely, that baptism which is administered by the true church, and upon the true faith. This is also established at this day b~ the Anabaptists, and regarded as a precept from t'he holy Word of God. It is also said in the 15th Canon concerning the catechumens, that if they have fallen, they shall be excluded three years from the prayers of those catechumens who have not fallen. This is an indication of the carefulness exercised by that assembly, to admit to baptism, according to the doctrine of the holy Gospel, no unprepared catechumens before they had truly repented after their fall. The 12th Canon, speaking of the penance to be performed by those who, under persecution, had apostatized without having been tormented; and the 13th Canon, treating of the very great and long * In Canon 2,"Concil. Nicer.," we have the following, "No one who has recently been received from heathendom and baptized, shall become an ecclesiastic (that is, a teacher or bishop). unless he have been very carefully examined previously."-Bapt. Histor., p. 352, from"Ruffinus"; which quite agrees with Paul's words, I Tim. 3:6, that no novice shall be ordained to the office of a bishop. penance to be endured by those, who, after having become Christians, had resumed the military profession, and thus become apostates; these precepts we say, militate neither against the holy Scriptures, nor against the views of the Anabaptists, but sufficiently confirm them both. NOTE.-It is recorded that at this time pseudoapostles taught that the church of Rome was rejected of God, and that it was not His church, but Babylon, and the whore mentioned in the Apocalypse, who rides the beast with the seven heads; and that we therefore do not owe obedience to the Pope; that under the New Testament we are in no wise bound to give tithes to the priests; that all manner of swearing is unlawful; that a consecrated church is not better to pray in than a pigsty. Seb. Fr. Chron., fol. 120, col. 3. A. D. 335.-At this time, Athanasius vigorously maintained the cause of such as had been baptized according to order of Christ, against those who, it seems, asserted that baptism might take place without previous instruction, or confession of faith. He says (Sean. 3., Contra Arian.), "Our Saviour did not simply command to baptize, but first said, teach, and then baptize; so that true faith may proceed from the doctrine, and then baptism be perfected with faith." P. J. Twisck, Ch~ron. 4th book, page 99, col. 2; from Grond. Bew., Letter A. Jac. Mehrn., BaQt. Hist., 2d Part, page 370. NOTE.-At this time Athanasius taught that it is the duty of every Christian, to read the holy Scriptures, on the 6th chap. Eph. Again, he prohibited the practice of making a likeness of God for the purpose of worshiping Him thereby, etc., as being an unlawful thing. Contr. Gent. Sam. heltius, in the Geslacht-register, page 118. Notice concerning several writings attributed to Athanairius.-The pedobaptists, prone to bring forward everything that seems in anywise to favor their views, were wont to adduce the 114th and the 124th question of a certain book called, Various Questions of Holy Scripture, attributed to Athanasius. But in answer to this we say: that said book is not the work of Athanasius, but of some other author who wrote subsequently to him; as in his 23d question he cites Athanasius as one having lived before him, saying, "This is the testimony of the great Athanasius, a man who was mighty in the divine Scriptures; but we, who are enlightened by him." Moreover, that book contains many opinions foreign to Athanasius, as shown by the Centuriatores Magdenburgenses, Cent. 4, cap. 10, p. 1032. See also, H. Montan. Nietigh., p. 69, and J. M., Bapt. Hist., pages 360, 361. NOTE. A. D. 320.-Lactantius Firmianus taught at this time: 1."That the sacrifices of the Christian are, a good life, purity, and good works. 2. That there is no religion in a place where there are images. Lib. 2, of the Divine Instruction. Also, Sam, Velti.us, in the Geslacht-register., ¢p. 116;
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