Page 189imposition of hands, shall be baptized." From Chron., Seb. Franck, of the Latin councils held in Africa and Europe, letter C. The time of this council is fixed by P. J. Twisek (from Seb. Fr.) A. D. 436; but he has previously given A. D. 406 as the date, and hence we leave it thus; others, however, give A. D. 416 as the date. Beloved reader, this is a very different decree from an earlier one, also made at Carthage, in the time of Cyprian, about A. D. 250, by sixty-six bishops, in which it was established, Contra Fidunsy that infants should be baptized immediately. This is certainly, we say, a very different decree, since infant baptism is not confirmed, but, much more, annulled by it; and thus we see that in the course of time some had grown wiser. Not, that it is our purpose to prove by councils, our view touching the true baptism, which must be administered upon faith; not at all, for we find in nothing less pleasure, than in the decrees of councils, in so far as they come short of the Word of God. Besides, this point needs not to be proved by councils, as it is expressed in the holy Scriptures; we simply mean to show thereby that also at that time there were persons who, even in the very place where infant baptism had been ratified, confirmed the true baptism of Jesus Christ, which must be administered upon previous examination, and has its foundation in the holy Scriptures. As to this, that the candidates were commanded, first to abstain for a time from wine and meat, we leave that as it is, neither commending nor condemning it, as being a thing which, without sin, may be observed or omitted, provided no superstition is connected therewith. A. D. 410. Bapt. Hist., page 408. Sedulius writes, on Rom. 5, "No man suffers condemnation, except through Adam; from which men are redeemed through the washing of regeneration."; But what else is the washing of regeneration, than the death of the old man, and the putting on of a new life, which is signified by baptism? See Rom. 6:3,4; Eph. 5:26,27; Tit. 3:5; I Pet. 3:21. Again, Sedulius, on Rom. 6, says, "Paul would have baptism so sure and perfect as to make it impossible for the recipient to sin any more. When the grace of God came upon us through Christ, and the spiritual washing reigned in us through faith, we began to live unto God, being dead unto sin, that is, the devil. And thus, baptism is an earnest and figure of the resurrection; and hence it is administered with water, that, as water washes away impurities, and even so we through baptism, we believe, are spiritually cleansed and purified from all sin."; Further, "Know that through baptism you, who have become a member of His body are crucified with Christ. He hung on the cross with an innocent body, that you might hang on the cross the guilty one."; Again, on I Cor. 5, "O that you may be a new leaven; that you may be mixed with the grace of holy baptism, as flour is mixed with water." This he seems to speak to those, who, though they had reached adult years, yet did not make any preparations, but deferred both their baptism and their regeneration. Again, on II Cor. 5, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, " that is, he that is renewed through the sacrament of baptism. We will not detain you, dear reader, with explanations on the above passages of Sedulius, since they, without explanation, are so clear, that even he that has but little understanding in divine things, can manifestly see, yea feel, that the baptism described by Sedulius savors not in the least of infant baptism, since the conditions he mentions in connection with it, as faith, regeneration, crucifying the old man, can not be comprehended, much less fulfilled by infants. A. D. 411. Bapt. Hist., page 444, ex Centuries 5. Magdeburgensis, fol. 664. Augustine writes that Hilarius, a teacher at Syracuse, wrote, "When an unbaptized child dies, it can not justly be damned, since it was born without sin."; A person unacquainted with the condition of things at that time, may perhaps think that with these words Hilarius of Syracuse, contributed but little to the abolishment of infant baptism; but he that is familiar with it, will instantly see that thereby he utterly denied infant baptism, and stripped it of its virtues. It deserves mention, that in those times infant baptism was based upon original sin, so that it was thought that infants, for the removal of said original sin; must necessarily be baptized; from which the conclusion was derived, that infants that were not baptized, and, consequently (in their opinion), not cleansed from original sin, must necessarily be damned, as is still taught at the present day by the Papists. Whenever then, any one denied original sin, the foundation of infant baptism, he denied infant baptism itself, yea utterly annihilated it. This did Hilarius of Syracuse, who denied original sin in new-born infants, and consequently, infant baptism; wherefore he, according to Augustine, frankly said, "When an unbaptized child dies, it cannot justly be damned, since it was born without sin."; A. D. 412. Bapt. Hist., page 407. Theodoretus, in,chap. 10, says, "In the law they used sprinklings, and frequently washed the body; but they who order their lives according to the New Testament, purify the soul by holy baptism, and free the conscience from previous stains."; Again, in Epist. Dizvin. Decret.: "But instead of those sprinklings, the gift of holy baptism is sufficient for those who believe; for it grants not only remission of old or previous sins, but it also implants (that is, into those who are thus baptized), the hope of promised good things; it makes us partakers of the death and resurrection of the Lord; it imparts the communion and gifts of the Holy Ghost; it makes us children of God, and not only children, but heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.";
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