Chapter 70 [XXXIX.]—How Far Sin is Done Away in Infants by Baptism, Also in Adults, and What Advantage Results Therefrom.

In infants it is certain that, by the grace of God, through His baptism who came in the likeness of sinful flesh, it is brought to pass that the sinful flesh is done away. This result, however, is so effected, that the concupiscence which is diffused over and innate in the living flesh itself is not removed all at once, so as to exist in it no longer; but only that that might not be injurious to a man at his death, which was inherent at his birth. For should an infant live after baptism, and arrive at an age capable of obedience to a law, he finds there somewhat to fight against, and, by God’s help, to overcome, if he has not received His grace in vain, and if he is not willing to be a reprobate. For not even to those who are of riper years is it given in baptism (except, perhaps, by an unspeakable miracle of the almighty Creator), that the law of sin which is in their members, warring against the law of their mind, should be entirely extinguished, and cease to exist; but that whatever of evil has been done, said, or thought by a man whilst he was servant to a mind subject to its concupiscence, should be abolished, and regarded as if it had never occurred. The concupiscence itself, however, (notwithstanding the loosening of the bond of guilt in which the devil, by it, used to keep the soul, and the destruction of the barrier which separated man from his Maker,) remains in the contest in which we chasten our body and bring it into subjection, whether to be relaxed for lawful and necessary uses, or to be restrained by continence.234    1 Cor. ix. 27. But inasmuch as the Spirit of God, who knows so much better than we do all the past, and present, and future of the human race, foresaw and foretold that the life of man would be such that “no man living should be justified in God’s sight,”235    Ps. cxliii. 2. it happens that through ignorance or infirmity we do not exert all the powers of our will against it, and so yield to it in the commission of sundry unlawful things,—becoming worse in proportion to the greatness and frequency of our surrender; and better, in proportion to its unimportance and infrequency. The investigation, however, of the point in which we are now interested—whether there could possibly be (or whether in fact there is, has been, or ever will be) a man without sin in this present life, except Him who said, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me”236    John xiv. 30.—requires a much fuller discussion; and the arrangement of the present treatise is such as to make us postpone the question to the commencement of another book.

CAPUT XXXIX.

70. Quatenus evacuetur peccatum per Baptismum in parvulis, similiter et in adultis, et quid inde consequatur utilitatis. In parvulis certe gratia Dei, per Baptismum ejus qui venit in similitudine carnis peccati, id agitur, ut evacuetur caro peccati. Evacuatur autem, non ut in ipsa vivente carne concupiscentia conspersa et innata repente absumatur, et non sit; sed ne obsit mortuo, quae inerat nato. Nam si post Baptismum vixerit, atque ad aetatem capacem praecepti pervenire potuerit, ibi habet cum qua pugnet, eamque adjuvante Deo superet, si non in vacuum gratiam ejus susceperit, si reprobatus esse noluerit. Nam nec grandibus hoc praestatur in Baptismo, nisi forte miraculo ineffabili omnipotentissimi Creatoris, ut lex peccati, quae inest in membris repugnans legi mentis, prorsus penitus exstinguatur, et non sit: sed ut quidquid mali ab homine factum, dictum, cogitatum est, cum eidem concupiscentiae subjecta mente serviret, totum aboleatur, ac velut factum non fuerit, habeatur; ipsa vero soluto reatus vinculo, quo per illam diabolus animam retinebat, 0151 et interclusione destructa, qua hominem a suo Creatore separabat, maneat in certamine, quo corpus nostrum castigamus et servituti subjicimus (I Cor. IX, 27), vel ad usus licitos et necessarios relaxanda, vel continentia cohibenda. Sed quoniam divino Spiritu, qui multo melius quam nos omnia generis humani novit vel praeterita, vel praesentia, vel futura, talis vita humana praecognita atque praedicta est, ut non justificetur in conspectu Dei omnis vivens 0152 (Psal. CXLII, 2); fit ut per ignorantiam vel infirmitatem non exsertis adversus eam totis viribus voluntatis, eidem ad illicita etiam nonnulla cedamus, tanto magis et crebrius quanto deteriores, tanto minus et rarius quanto meliores sumus. Sed quoniam de hac quaestione in qua quaeritur, utrum possit, vel utrum sit, fuerit, futurusve sit homo sine peccato in hac vita, excepto illo qui dixit, Ecce venit princeps mundi, et in me nihil inveniet (Joan. XIV, 30), aliquanto diligentius disserendum est; iste sit hujus voluminis modus, ut illud ab alio quaeramus exordio.