Chapter 5.—Baptism Puts Away All Sins, But It Does Not at Once Heal All Infirmities.

Baptism, therefore, washes away indeed all sins—absolutely all sins, whether of deeds or words or thoughts, whether original or added, whether such as are committed in ignorance or allowed in knowledge; but it does not take away the weakness which the regenerate man resists when he fights the good fight, but to which he consents when as man he is overtaken in any fault; on account of the former, rejoicing with thanksgiving, but on account of the latter, groaning in the utterance of prayers. On account of the former, saying, “What shall I render to the Lord for all that He has given me?”172    Ps. cxvi. 12. On account of the latter, saying, “Forgive us our debts.”173    Matt. vi. 12. On account of the former, saying, “I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.”174    Ps. cxviii. 1. On account of the latter, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord; for I am weak.”175    Ps. vi. 2. On account of the former, saying, “Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.”176    Ps. xxv. 15. On account of the latter, saying, “Mine eye is troubled with wrath.”177    Ps. xxxi. 9. And there are innumerable passages with which the divine writings are filled, which alternately, either in exultation over God’s benefits or in lamentation over our own evils, are uttered by children of God by faith as long as they are still children of this world in respect of the weakness of this life; whom, nevertheless, God distinguishes from the children of the devil, not only by the laver of regeneration, but moreover by the righteousness of that faith which worketh by love, because the just lives by faith. But this weakness with which we contend, with alternating failure and progress, even to the death of the body, and which is of great importance as to what it can overcome in us, shall be consumed by another regeneration, of which the Lord says, “In the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,”178    Matt. xix. 28. etc. Certainly in this passage He without doubt calls the last resurrection the regeneration, which Paul the Apostle also calls both the adoption and the redemption, where he says, “But even we ourselves, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, ourselves also groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption, of our body.”179    Rom. viii. 23. Have we not been regenerated, adopted, and redeemed by the holy washing? And yet there remains a regeneration, an adoption, a redemption, which we ought now patiently to be waiting for as to come in the end, that we may then be in no degree any longer children of this world. Whosoever, then, takes away from baptism that which we only receive by its means, corrupts the faith; but whosoever attributes to it now that which we shall receive by its means indeed, but yet hereafter, cuts off hope. For if any one should ask of me whether we have been saved by baptism, I shall not be able to deny it, since the apostle says, “He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”180    Tit. iii. 5. But if he should ask whether by the same washing He has already absolutely in every way saved us, I shall answer: It is not so. Because the same apostle also says, “For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, we with patience wait for it.”181    Rom. viii. 24, 25. Therefore the salvation of man is effected in baptism, because whatever sin he has derived from his parents is remitted, or whatever, moreover, he himself has sinned on his own account before baptism; but his salvation will hereafter be such that he cannot sin at all.

5. Baptismus igitur abluit quidem peccata omnia, prorsus omnia, factorum, dictorum, cogitatorum, sive originalia, sive addita, sive quae ignoranter, sive quae scienter admissa sunt: sed non aufert infirmitatem, cui regeneratus resistit, quando bonum agonem luctatur; consentit autem, quando sicut homo in aliquo delicto praeoccupatur (Galat. VI, 1); propter illud gaudens in actione gratiarum, propter hoc autem gemens in allegatione orationum. Ibi dicens, Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi (Psal. CXV, 3)? hic dicens, Dimitte nobis debita nostra (Matth. VI, 12). Propter illud dicens, Diligam te, Domine, virtus mea (Psal. XVII, 2): propter hoc dicens, Miserere mei, Domine, quia infirmus sum (Psal. VI, 3). Propter illud dicens, Oculi mei semper ad Dominum, quoniam ipse evellet de laqueo pedes meos (Psal. XXIV, 15): propter hoc dicens, Turbatus est prae ira oculus meus (Psal. XXX, 10). Et innumerabilia, quibus divinae Litterae plenae sunt, quae alternis vicibus , vel exsultando de Dei bonis, vel moerendo de nostris malis, a filiis Dei dicuntur ex fide, quamdiu adhuc filii sunt etiam saeculi hujus pro vitae hujus 0591 infirmitate: quos tamen Deus a filiis diaboli non solum lavacro regenerationis, sed ipsius etiam quae per dilectionem operatur (Galat. V, 6), fidei probitate discernit; quia justus ex fide vivit (Rom. I, 17). Haec autem infirmitas , cum qua usque ad corporis mortem defectu et profectu alternante contendimus, magnique interest quid vincat in nobis, regeneratione alia consumetur; de qua Dominus dicit, In regeneratione, cum sederit Filius hominis in sede majestatis suae, sedebitis et vos super sedes duodecim (Matth. XIX, 28), etc. Regenerationem quippe hoc loco, ambigente nullo, novissimam resurrectionem vocat: quam Paulus quoque apostolus et adoptionem et redemptionem nuncupat, dicens, Sed etiam nos ipsi primitias spiritus habentes, et ipsi in nobismetipsis ingemiscimus, adoptionem exspectantes, redemptionem corporis nostri (Rom. VIII, 23). Numquid non per lavacrum sanctum regenerati, adoptati et redempti sumus? Et tamen restat regeneratio, adoptio, redemptio, quam in fine venturam nunc patienter exspectare debemus, ut tunc filii hujus saeculi ex nulla parte jam simus. Quisquis igitur Baptismati derogat, quod modo per illud percipimus, corrumpit fidem: quisquis autem jam nunc ei tribuit, quod quidem per ipsum, sed tamen postea percepturi sumus, amputat spem. Nam si a me quisquam quaesierit, utrum per Baptismum salvi facti fuerimus; negare non potero, dicente Apostolo, Salvos nos fecit per lavacrum regenerationis et renovationis Spiritus sancti (Tit. III, V). Sed si quaesierit, utrum per idem lavacrum omni prorsus modo jam nos fecerit salvos; respondebo, Non ita est. Idem quippe item dicit apostolus: Spe enim salvi facti sumus. Spes autem quae videtur, non est spes; quod enim videt quis, quid sperat? Si autem quod non videmus speramus, per patientiam exspectamus (Rom. VIII, 24 et 25). Salus ergo hominis in Baptismate facta est, quia dimissum est quod peccati a parentibus traxit, vel quidquid etiam proprie ante Baptismum ipse peccavit: salus vero ejus tanta post erit , ut peccare omnino non possit.