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CHAP.IV. those places where the Arians are called anabapYear after tists; I am persuaded he would have increased the

the apo

stles.

catalogue of his friends with one sect more. I would not have the antipædobaptists claim any acquaintance with so ill company: and therefore do give them an account of the reason why they had that name. It was not for that they had any thing to say against infant-baptism: but because they, as well as the Donatists before them, did use to baptize over again such as came from the catholic church to them; not for that they had been baptized in infancy, (for if they had been baptized at man's age it was all one,) but for that they had received baptism from the catholics, whom the Arians did so hate, that they would not own any baptism given by them to be good. This is evident both from St. Austin, who recites their tenets", and also from an oration of St. Ambrose, which I mentioned before, against Auxentius the Arian: where he says, 'Cur igitur rebaptizandos,' &c. Why does 'Auxentius say, that the faithful people, who have 'been baptized in the name of the Trinity, must 'be baptized again? And this is all that the word anabaptist signifies; one that baptizes over again 'those that have been baptized already.' And therefore those of the antipædobaptists that know the signification of the word, do not own the name; they denying theirs to be rebaptizing.

The instance of the emperor Valens, that I gave before, (whom St. Basil exhorted to have his child

u De Hæresibus, cap. 49.

X

[Apud Op. tom. ii. p. 874. sect. 37. edit. Benedict.] y Part i. chap. 12. sect. 9, 10.

baptized by the catholic bishops, but he chose to CHAP.V. have it done by the Arians,) is a clear proof that year after Arians as well as catholics baptized infants.

the apo

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CHAP. V.

And of

Of some heretics that denied all water-baptism.
others that baptized the same person several times over.
The dispute in the catholic church concerning rebap-
tizing. Of the Paulianists, whom the Nicene Fathers
ordered to be baptized anew, if they would come into
the church.

I. WHAT St. Austin and Pelagius said of all heretics (that they had ever heard of) allowing infant-baptism, must be understood of such as allowed any baptism at all. For otherwise, they knew there were some sects that renounced all use of it to any persons, infants or others. And St. Austin had himself been of one of them. And he does indeed express a limitation that is of the same effect, when he says, 'All that do receive the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, do own infant-baptism for the remission of sins' for those that denied all water-baptism did also generally renounce the scriptures.

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It may be worth the while to gratify the Quakers with a short catalogue of all their ancient friends in that point of denying baptism, that were within our period.

The historians that have given us the tale of all the heresies they had heard of, have been much too liberal of that name. For they have given the name of heretics to some that deserved a worse, and

z See the words, part i. chap. 19. sect. 17.

CHAP.V. should have been called infidels; and also to some

Year after that deserved one not so bad, and should have gone for distracted people.

the apo

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Of the first sort were the Valentinians, who made use of the name of Christ only to mock and abuse the religion their own religion being a mixture of idolatry, magic, and lascivious rites. They blasphemed the scriptures as false; and the catholics as carnal; and both, as giving a wrong account of Jesus Christ, of whom they made quite another sort of being.

Of these Irenæus reckons up several sorts, which had their several opinions concerning baptism. I gave a general account of them before, out of the 18th [21st of the Benedictine edition] chapter of Irenæus' first book: and here you shall have Irenæus' words.

Having premised, that in this sect there are as 'many aоλυTρoes, redemptions, [or, ways of baptism,] as there are ringleaders,' he adds,

Some of them dress up a bride-chamber, and perform mystical ceremonies with certain profane words to those whom they initiate; and call this "a"spiritual marriage," which they say is made according to the likeness of the "heavenly conjugations."

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Others bring the party to the water, and as they are baptizing use these words: “In the name of the unknown Father of all things: in the truth the mother of all things: in him that 'came down on JESUS: in the union and redemption and communion of powers."

6

Some, that they may amuse those whom they a Irenæus, lib. iii cap. 2.

b Part i. chap. 21. §. 2.

initiate, use certain Hebrew words; Basema, CHAP. V. Chamasi, Baæanora, &c.

Year after

stles.

* Others of them again express their redemption the apo [or baptism] thus; "The name that is hidden from every deity, dominion, and truth: which Jesus of Nazareth put on in the zones of light," • &c.

And he that is initiated [or baptized] answers, "I am confirmed and redeemed: and I redeem my soul from this EON and all that comes of it, in the name of IAO," &e.

Then they anoint the baptized person with balsam, for they say this ointment is the type of that sweetness which surpasses all things.' [Note, that this is the first mention of chrism that is any where read of. And since I shall shew presently, at chap. ix. that it was used by the catholics from testimonies of near the same date as this; one may conclude that it came from some principle universally received by all Christians, catholic or heretic.]

Some of them say, that it is needless to bring the person to the water at all: but making a mixture of oil and water, they pour it on his head, using certain profane words, much like them be⚫ forementioned: and they say that that is redemption [or baptism]. This sort use balsam also.

But others of them rejecting all these things, say, "that the mystery of the unspeakable and invisible power, ought not to be performed by visible and corruptible elements: nor that of incomprehensible and incorporeal things be represented by ⚫ sensible and corporeal things. But that the knowledge of the unspeakable majesty is itself perfect

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CHAP. V. redemption [or baptism].' These last, I suppose, Year after will be owned for friends.

the apo

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II. Tertullian wrote his book of baptism, that he 100. might put a stop to the heresy that had been set on foot by one Quintilla, a woman preacher, that had been at Carthage a little before; and had, as he says, seduced a great many. The main of her preaching was against water-baptism: that it was 'needless: that faith alone was sufficient,' &c. She had come out, as he understood, from the sect of the Caians. That sect, as impious as it was in other things, did not deny baptism, that we read of. She had, it seems, added that herself. He there largely sets forth the falseness of her doctrine, and also her masculine impudence in usurping the office of a preacher of it, though it had been never so true.

200.

III. The Manichees are the next: as little deserving the name of Christians as the rest, and less than the Mahometans do. They made the same account of their Manes, as these do of Mahomet. They owned Christ to be a true prophet, as these do; and Peter, Paul, John, &c., to have been his true apostles. But they said (as these also do) that the books which we have of theirs are no true records, but had been falsified. And the same absurdity which the Christians now do urge against these, St. Austin urged against them: that if they plead our 'copies are falsified, they ought at least to produce 'such as are truer.' And he, who had been once seduced by them, tells us what they held as to

c De Baptismo, cap. I.

d Epiphan. de Caianis, Hær. 38. [sive 18.-Op. tom. i. p. 276. edit. Petavii, 1622.]

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