12. Wherefore the whole of this discussion must be considered, that it may be made clearer. For the invocation of the name of Jesus can only be an advantage if it shall be subsequently properly supplemented, because both prophets and apostles have so declared. For James says in the Acts of the Apostles: “Men and brethren, hearken: Simon hath declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will raise it up anew; that the residue of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called upon them, saith the Lord, who doeth these things.”37    Acts xv. 13–17.  Therefore also the residue of men, that is, some of the Jews and all the Gentiles upon whom the name of the Lord is called, may and of necessity must seek the Lord, because that very invocation of the name affords them the opportunity, or even imposes on them the necessity, of seeking the Lord. And with these they prescribe the Holy Scriptures—whether all or only some of them—to discuss still more boldly concerning the truth than with the Gentiles upon whom the name of the Lord Jesus, the Son of the living God, has not been invoked, as it likewise has not upon the Jews who only receive the Old Testament Scriptures. And thus men of both of these kinds, that is, Jews and Gentiles, fully believing as they ought, are in like manner baptized. But heretics who are already baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ must only be baptized with the Holy Spirit; and in Jesus, which is “the only name given under heaven whereby we must be saved,” death is reasonably despised, although, if they continue as they are, they cannot be saved, because they have not sought the Lord after the invocation of His name upon them,—even as those who, on account of false Christs, perchance have refused to believe, of whom the Lord says, “Take heed that no man lead you into error.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall lead many into error.”38    Matt. xxiv. 4, etc. And again He says:  “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or lo there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, even the very elect shall be deceived.”39    Matt. xxiv. 23, 24. And these miracles, without doubt, they shall then do under the name of Christ; in which name some even now appear to do certain miracles, and to prophesy falsely. But it is certain that those, because they are themselves not of Christ, therefore do not belong to Christ, in like manner as if one should depart from Christ, abiding only in His name, he would not be much advantaged; nay, rather, he is even burdened by that name, although he may have been previously very faithful, or very righteous, or honoured with some clerical office, or endowed with the dignity of confession. For all those, by denying the true Christ, and by introducing or following another—although there is no other at all—leave themselves no hope or salvation; not otherwise than they who have denied Christ before men, who must needs be denied by Christ; no consideration for them being made from their previous conversation, or feeling, or dignity, equally as they themselves have dared to do away with Christ, that is, their own salvation, they are condemned by the short sentence of this kind, because it was manifestly said by the Lord, “Whosoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father which is in heaven.” As this word “whosoever,” also in the sentence of confession, most fully shows us that no condition of the confessor himself can stand in the way, although he may have been before a denier, or a heretic, or a hearer, or one who is beginning to hear, who has not yet been baptized or converted from heresy to the truth of the faith, or one who has departed from the Church and has afterwards returned, and then when he returned, before the bishop’s hands could be laid upon him, being apprehended, should be compelled to confess Christ before men; even as to one who again denies Christ, no special ancient dignity can be effectual to him for salvation.

XII. Quapropter totus discernendus est tractatus hic, ut possit manifestior fieri. Namque invocatio nominis Jesu ideo tantum patrocinari potest, si rite suppleta postea fuerit, quia et Prophetae et Apostoli ita praedicaverunt. Ait enim Jacobus in Actis Apostolorum: Viri fratres, audite: Simon exposuit quemadmodum primum Deus visitaverit accipere ex gentibus populum nomini suo; et huic consonant sermones prophetarum, sicut scriptum est: Post 1196C haec revertar, et reaedificabo tabernaculum illud David quod cecidit; et quae demolita sunt ejus reaedificabo, et denuo erigam illud; uti exquirant residui hominum Deum, et omnes gentes super quas invocatum est nomen meum super eas, dicit Dominus faciens haec (Act. XV, 13-17). Itaque et residui hominum, id est quidam Judaeorum, et omnes gentes super quas invocatum est nomen Domini, possunt et necesse habent requirere Dominum, quia ipsa invocatio nominis praebet eis occasionem vel etiam imponit necessitatem requirendi Dominum, cum quibus praecipiunt Scripturas sanctas, sive universas, sive quasdam, tamen audentius de veritate tractare quam cum gentibus, super quos non est invocatum nomen Domini Jesu Filii Dei vivi, sicuti nec super 1196D Judaeos, qui veteres tantum Scripturas recipiunt. Et ideo utriusque hujus generis homines, id est Judaei et Gentiles, plene ut oportet credentes pari modo baptizantur. Haeretici vero jam baptizati aqua in nomine Jesu Christi, tantum in Spiritu sancto baptizandi sunt: et in Jesu, quod nomen solum datum est sub coelo in quo oporteat salvos fieri nos, merito mors contemnitur; quoniam si sic perseverent, salvi esse non possunt, quia non requisiverunt Dominum post invocationem nominis ejus super 1197A eos, sicut et illi qui in eos Christus qui forte credere noluerunt, de quibus Dominus ait: Cavete ne quis vos in errorem inducat. Multi enim venient in nomine meo dicentes: Ego sum Christus: et multos in errorem inducent (Matth. XXIV, 4, 5-11). Et iterum ait: Tunc si qui dixerit vobis: Ecce hic Christus, aut hic; nolite credere. Surgent enim pseudochristi et pseudoprophetae, et dabunt signa magna et portenta, ita ut errent, si fieri potest, etiam electi (Ibid. 23, 24). Quas virtutes non dubie tunc illi sub nomine Christi facient. In quo nomine videntur quidam etiam modo quasdam virtutes facere, et falso prophetare. Sed certum est eos, quod ipsi non sint Christi, propterea ad Christum non pertinere; quemadmodum etiam si quis desciscat a Christo, inhaerens solo nomini ejus, qui non multum adjuvatur, 1197B immo magis hoc nomine etiam oneratur, licet fuerit antea fidelissimus aut justissimus, aut clero aliquo honoratus, aut confessionis dignitate praeditus. Hi enim omnes negando verum Christum, introducendo aut sequendo alium, cum sit nullus omnino alius, nihil spei aut salutis sibi relinquunt: non aliter quam illi qui coram hominibus negaverunt Christum, quos negari necesse est a Christo, non habita ulla ratione ipsorum ex praecedenti conversatione eorum aut sensu aut dignitate; proinde atque ipsi ausi sunt Christum, id est salutem suam abrogare, damnati per hujus modi clausulam, quia manifestissime a Domino dictum est: Quicumque me negaverit coram hominibus, negabo eum et ego coram Patre meo qui in coelis est 1197C (Matth. X, 33): ut verbum hoc, Quicumque, etiam in clausula confessionis plenissime nobis ostendat, quod nulla conditio ipsius confitentis obesse possit; licet negator ille antea vel haereticus fuerit vel audiens aut audire incipiens, qui nondum baptizatus sit, vel de haeresi ad veritatem fidei conversus, vel ab Ecclesia digressus et postea reversus sit; et tunc cum rediret, priusquam ei manus ab episcopo imponeretur, apprehensus confiteri Christum coram hominibus necesse habuerit, sicut iterum neganti Christum nulla propria vetus dignitas potest ad salutem patrocinari.