1 2 Lib. 4. c. 4. § 5. 1. contr. Petil. c. 2. 4. c. 4. 4 Lib. 1. c. 10. So is it with the Ministers of the Church', be they co- A. D. 400. vetous, envious, revengeful, or defiled with any other vice; they have not a whit the less the power to baptize; they would not even be deprived of it, were they guilty of errors [tom. 9. in the faith, whether their vices or errors are known or con- P. 207.] cealed3. Now, if the wicked that are in the Church may De Bapt. give and receive Baptism, they may also do it out of the [p. 124.] Church; because they do not give it and receive it as being out of the Church, but by virtue of the faith and the Sacraments they have received of her. It is still the Church', which, in separate societies, produces children by the Sacra- [p. 87.] ment, which belongs to her; or rather, it is JESUS CHRIST, who baptizeth by any Minister, worthy or unworthy. The sanctity of his Baptism cannot be profaned by man, it is accompanied always by the power of GoD, working either for the salvation of those who rightly use it, or the destruction of those who abuse it. In respect, therefore, of the truth of the Sacrament, neither faith nor a good life is necessary to him who gives or receives it, but both are essential in respect [ Lib. 3. of its effect to benefit. It is sufficient that Baptism be ad- p.114, 115.] ministered in the words of the Gospel, whatever bad interpretation' he who baptizes or is baptized may put upon them. 7 Lib. 4. This doctrine applies equally to all the Sacraments, and St. Augustine says expressly, that those who receive the Eucharist unworthily, do nevertheless receive the Body [and Blood] of CHRIST. 5 Lib. 2. c. 10. [et 3. 10. et 4. 13.] 14, 15. c. 12, 15. 8 Lib. 5. c. 8. [p. 9 Lib. 4. The Baptism of children proves that the validity does not 146.] depend upon any inward disposition. "For no Christian," c. 23. says St. Augustine, "will say that the Baptism of children is "ineffectual." This Baptism, of itself, saves children, who die before they are capable of believing and doing good works. On the contrary, faith alone and charity without Baptism saves him who cannot receive it, as was the case with the penitent thief. But virtue alone is not sufficient for him who can be baptized, as in the case of the Centurion Cornelius', because his contempt of Baptism would shew that his conversion was not sincere. In the same manner, Baptism alone is not sufficient for him', who is of age to do good works. But GoD supplies what is wanting independently of man, faith to the child, and the Sacrament to the adult. Although 1 Lib. 4. 140. F.J c. 23. [p. Lib. 4. c. 25. § 32. 1 Lib. 1. c. 2, 4, 5. 2 c. litt. Parm. 2. A. D. 400. Baptism given without the pale of the Church is valid, he who receives it, unless in the utmost necessity, sins'. In the Church itself, a layman' may baptize, and his Baptism is valid; but unless there is a necessity for so doing, he sins. Whether he who is unbaptized3 can administer Baptism, was De Bapt. 7. a question, for which St. Augustine waited for the decision of a Council; however, he seems inclined to pronounce it valid, and so it has been since decided. § 29. p. 44. c. 53. [' Bingh. 2. 6. § 5. vol. 1.] 6 Gal. 2.11. As to St. Cyprian', St. Augustine always mentions him with Giesel. § 69. the greatest respect, and never opposes his opinion but with the utmost consideration. He excuses him by the example 5 Lib. 2. of St. Peter', who was mistaken on the question about legal c. 1. [p.95.] et 6. c. 1. ceremonies; by the obscurity of the question which St. Cyprian had to handle; and by the liberty of opinion he was entitled to exercise before the dispute had been decided by a plenary, that is, an universal Council. St. Augustine gives us these rules concerning the authority to be followed in the Church. The Scripture' is superior to all, neither is it allowable to dispute of the truth or correctness of what is contained therein. The writings of Bishops may be corrected by other Bishops of greater knowledge, and by Councils; decrees of provincial Councils may be overruled by general; and these themselves may be corrected by later Councils. 7 Lib. 2. c. 3. [p. 98.] 8 Lib. 5. c. 17. [p. 152.] 9 Lib. 2. c. 4. [p. 98. D.] 1 Lib. 6. c. 7. [p. 165.] * Lib. 2. c. 7, 8. "It is not my private opinion," he says, "which I prefer "to that of Cyprian; but that of the whole Church, which "he would have embraced himself, had he been clearly in"formed of it. I make use of the liberty' he has allowed every one, to follow an opposite opinion; he acknowledged "himself, that the ancient custom of the Church was con"trary to what he maintained, and that the custom of bap"" tizing heretics was not introduced before Agrippinus'. He "has not condemned those who died without any other Baptism than that which they had received without the "Church, and he did not himself" separate from the comc 18. [p. "munion of such as defended the ancient usage in opposition "to him; any more than he did from those Bishops who "" were covetous and usurers, and whose scandalous behaviour "he lamented. He always maintained charity, and by this "means has manifestly condemned the schism of the Dona"tists, by shewing that separation is unlawful either for a 9 Lib. 1. 94.] 2. c. 6. [p. 99.] 1 c. l. [p. "difference of opinion, not yet decided by the supreme A. D. 400. authority of the Church, or for crimes out of one's power "to correct." Lastly', St. Augustine invokes' St. Cyprian, Lib. 7. reigning in heaven, entreating that he may be assisted by 185.] his prayers, in imitating his virtues, and withstanding the adjuvet heretics and schismatics, who endeavoured to prevent his tionibus writings. nos ora suis. See 5. c. 17. p. 152. D. bk. 19. ch. c. 2. et 7. c. 2, 25, 54. He further presses the Donatists on the perpetuity of the and supr. Church, and says: "If it is a sacrilege and prevarication, to 31. note k.] "receive heretics without baptizing them; all the Church, "before the time of Agrippinus, was guilty of this prevarica- Lib. 3. "tion; that is, there was no Church. Whence then is "Donatus? Both we and the Donatists are the descendants "of those prevaricators, who had by prevaricating lost the "Church. Now, if the reception of these heretics was not a "lawful cause of separation, it is plain that we may com"municate with sinners. You are in the wrong, therefore, "to reproach us with the pretended crimes of Cæcilian and "others whom you call Traditors, and to make this the "foundation of your schism. If we are of the race of these "traditors, you, as well as we, are the posterity of those an"cient prevaricators." Petil. 1. c. l. c. 25. [p. 50.] About the same time, St. Augustine being in the Church of Cirtha or Constantina in Numidia, with Fortunatus, the contr. litt. Catholic Bishop of that city, a letter was given him from Petilian, the Donatist Bishop of the same place, written to his Presbyters. St. Augustine felt that he ought to answer's Retr. 2. it, and he did so by a letter addressed to the faithful in his diocese. But as he had received only part of Petilian's letter, on afterwards obtaining the whole, he drew up a more exact reply: first, setting down the words of Petilian, and then his own answer, as in a conference. This is the second book against Petilian, which he did not write till about two years after the first, that is, in the year 402, at the latest; since he supposes Pope Anastasius still living. He after-⚫ Contr. wards wrote a long letter to the Catholics of his diocese ; c.51. § 118. which is generally called the Book on the unity of the [P. 254.] Church'. He therein treats of the question about the true [' p. 337.] Church, and laying aside all disputes concerning matters of fact, only makes use of the words of the Holy Scripture; Petil. 2. A. D. 400. first laying down this rule, that in matters of controversy, the literal sense only is to be followed. He proves, therefore, that the true Church must be universal, and spread throughout the world, and refutes the argument drawn from passages misapplied by the Donatists, to prove that the Church was only amongst them. Petilian having seen the first letter of St. Augustine, made a reply, in which, for want of argument, he loaded him with calumnies and reproaches. The answer 1 c.1. [tom. of St. Augustine' forms the third book against Petilian, 9. p. 297.] where he first shews how little personal affronts avail in religious disputes, in which the authority of man is as nothing, but only the cause of GOD, which he defends. XLVIII. First Coun cil of Toledo. 2 Conc. 2. p. 1222. [Mans. 3. p. 997.] Spain still continued as much divided as ever by the Priscillianists, and by the want of conformity in discipline. This occasion for the first Council of Toledo, held in the begave ginning of September, (according to their æra 438), in the Consulship of Stilicho, A.D. 400. Nineteen Bishops out of all the provinces of Spain were present, the chief of whom Innocent. was Patruinus of Merida; and the most famous, Olympius, Ep. 23. c.5. [ap. Coust. Who wrote a treatise against such as attributed sin to nature, Ep. 3. § 8. and not to free will. This was an error which the Priscillianists had derived from the Manichees. Patruinus proposed c. 24. [ap. the removal of their scandalous non-conformity, (especially in ordinations), which proceeded so far as to produce schism, and S. Aug. in obedience to the regulations of the Council of Nicæa. All the p. 33.] Jul. 1. c. 3. Bishops agreed, and twenty Canons were drawn up. scr. A.D. 404.] S. Hier. tom. 5. § 8. [tom. 10. p. 500.] [ p. 998. Mans.] 7 can. 1. can. 2. [Bingh. 4. 3. § 6.] 8 can. 8. [Bingh. 4. 4. § 1, 2.] They ordained, that "the Deacons or Priests" who are mar"ried, and have not observed continence, shall not be pro"moted to the Priesthood, or Episcopate." That, "those who "have performed' public penance, shall not be ordained Clerks, "that is, not even Door-keepers or Readers, but in case of "necessity. He who since his baptism hath served in war, "if he is received among the Clergy, cannot be advanced to "the office of a Deacon. The Reader' who marries a second time, shall continue a Reader; but the Sub-deacon' shall be "made a Door-keeper or a Reader, on condition, however, that "he read neither the Epistle nor Gospel." This shews that the Readers might ordinarily read them; and they did so in Supr. bk. Africa' in the time of St. Cyprian. "Any Clerk, who, being can. 5. present at a place that hath a Church belonging to it, shall can. 3. 1 can. 4. 6. ch. 50. 3 66 3 4 can. 13. 17. ch. 56. can. 20. [Supr. ch. 24.] i.e. cantore. "neglect to be present at the Sacrifice, which shall be offered A. D. 400. "every day', shall no longer be esteemed a Clerk. Those who 'Bingh.6. "come into the Church, and never communicate, shall be 3. § 6.] "admonished to do penance, or no longer refrain from the "communion. But he who having received the Eucharist can. 14. "from the Priest doth not swallow it," (which was one of the abuses practised by the Priscillianists"), "shall be driven Supra,bk. "out of the Church as guilty of sacrilege. The Priest is "forbidden to compose the sacred Chrism'; but a Deacon or "Sub-deacon is to be sent from each Church, to receive it "from the Bishop at Easter. No Nun is to perform the ["professa] "public prayers' in her house, without the presence of a [ anti"Priest. If the wife of a Clerk have committed sin, he may faciat cum phonas "bind her in his own house, chastise her, and oblige her to confessore, "fast, provided that he makes no attempt upon her life; nor Supr. ch. 32. note t.] "is he even to eat with her, till she has performed public "penance"." St. Augustine records this custom, of withdraw- can. 7. ing from near relations of a bad life, and not eating with them, in order to their amendment'. "The Nun who sins [' Supr. bk. 18. ch. 49.] "shall suffer ten years' penance; and if she is married, she "shall not be admitted to perform penance till she is separated from her husband3. If she is the daughter' of a [ caste Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, she shall not receive the Com- cœperit.] "munion till she is at the point of death; and the father can. 19. " and mother shall be excommunicated if they do not separate "themselves from her. The widow of a Bishop, Priest, or can. 18. "Deacon, who marries a second time, shall not receive the "Communion, till she is at the point of death. 8 can. 9. can. 16. vivere 6 "He who together with a faithful wife hath a concubine, can. 17. "is excommunicated; but if the concubine be instead of a "wife to him, though without that title, so that he is other"wise continent, he shall not be denied the Communion." This Canon is very remarkable, as shewing that there were lawful concubines, approved by the Church. The case, according to the Roman laws, was this: not every woman could be the lawful wife of any man; both must be Roman citizens, and their conditions not very unequal. A Senator might not d These were of course in no sense concubines as we might now understand the word, but wives; they are called by this name only in reference |