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117. 3. He taught against compulsion of conscience, and revenge, as appears from the following. He writes to the Emperor Constantine (5th book, chap. 20), "The more, the religion. of God is suppressed, the more it breaks forth and grows; hence they should employ reasoning and admonition; it is not necessary to proceed with violence. For religion admits of no compulsion; persuasive words can do more to promote the cause than blows." Again (5th book, chap. 21) he writes, "We Christians do not desire that any one should serve God, the Creator of all, against his will; neither are we angry if he does not serve Him; for we trust His Majesty, who can as easily avenge Himself against those who- despise Him, as He does the vexations and injuries inflicted upon His servants. Therefore, when we suffer such shameful things, we say not one word against it, but commit all vengeance to God; not doing as those who would be regarded protectors of their gods, and very cruelly assail those who do not worship them." Korte ontschuldiging, by P. V. K., edition o f 1643, page 47, front Religions Vryheydt, 22 part, Q. 10. About A. D. 340. Marius Victorius writes in the fifth book against Arius, "Everyone that is baptized, and says he believes, and accepts the faith, receives the Spirit of truth, that is, the holy Ghost, and is made holier by him." J. Mehrv., Bdpt. Hist., page 325. I find in authentic writers, no other account of baptism by this Marius, so that this seems to be the only thing he has written about baptism, and from this, too, it is obvious that he must have been a stranger to infant baptism, seeing he joins together confession, faith, and baptism, in the one that is to be baptized. A. D. 350.-About this time Hilarius attained, to the faith in Jesus Christ, and having been baptized upon this faith, he proceeded to defend the truth which he had received and accepted, and, for the strengthening of the faith he had,adopted, and that he might live according to the same, he prayed to God (lib. 12 de Trinit.) as follows, "Dear God, preserve my faith and the testimony of my conscience, that I may ever keep that which I confessed in the sacrament of my regeneration, when I was baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; namely, that I worship Thee, O God our Father, and Thy Son with Thee, and that the Holy Spirit, that proceeds from Thee, may be awakened." Again Vicecomes (lib. 2, cap. 27.) quotes from Hilarius, on the 15th chapter of Matt: the following, "They that come to baptism confess first, that they believe in the Son of God, and in His suffering and resurrection; and this confession is made or pronounced at the sacrament of baptism, " Again, Hilarius writes (vol. 2, de Trinitate), "The Lord has commanded -to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; that is, upon the confession of the Author (that is, Him who in the beginning created all things), and the First-born, and the Free Gift (that is, the Son and--the Holy Ghost)." Jac. Ylehrn. Bapt., Histor., 2d part, pages 371, 372.
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