THE VIEWS OF RABANUS MAURUS CONCERNING VARIOUS OTHER ARTICLES OF HIS FAITH, ACCORDING TO THE AFORE-MENTIONED AUTHOR
He writes, A. D. 830: "Rabanus, an eminently learned man writes and says: 'The catechism, that is, the doctrine of the faith, shall precede baptism, so that the candidate (catechumen) may first learn the first principles of the faith.'" He further says, "The Lord Christ first anointed the eyes of the man born blind, with clay made of spittle, before He sent him to the water of Siloam; therefore, the candidate shall first be instructed in the faith of the incarnation of Christ, and, if he then believes, admitted to baptism; that he may know what grace he obtains in baptism, and to whom he owes his service for it." Again:."Rabanus writes also, that in the sacrament the language is figurative, and that Christ, having gone to heaven (in order that we being regenerated by faith, should long the more ardently for Him) left us this sacrament, as a visible figure and symbol of His flesh and blood, so that we the more abundantly, might apprehend in faith the invisible things." This language, Twisck writes, the Roman church now greatly curses., "He also taught contrary to the Roman. church, of the authority of the holy Scriptures, of justification, repentance, the state of the soul after this life, and against other* papal errors, as his books testify., "The same thing was done at this time, by Angelomus, who treated of the grace of God, good works, and the keys of the church, in opposition to the pope. Chron., 9th book, page 283, from John Munst., fol. 120, 133. John Boea., lib. 4, Grond. Bevijs, letter A. Chron. Seb. Franck, fol. 77, Casp. Swinck, fol. 115. Same year as above.-This Angelomus just mentioned is referred to in Jacob Mehrning's History of Baptism, in which it is stated that, besides the afore-mentioned views held by him contrary to the Roman church, he left the following testimony with regard to the matter of baptism: Angelomus (in cap. 7, lib. 3, Reg. 1, page 548), says, "From all that we have sinned with the, " Twisck might have used a less ambiguous phrase here, though we doubt not, that the intelligent reader will readily see what he means; but for fear that some one might misunderstand him, we will add a few words of explanation. The word"other," of course, implies that some errors have already been adduced; strictly speaking, however, he has not adduced the errors, but rather the articles of faith in regard to which errors were held, by the Roman church. -Translator.
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