donum. Quare confugite ad aquam; hæc enim sola vim ignis potest extinguere. Ad quam qui nondum vult venire, adhuc rabidum gerit spiritum, cujus gratia non vult pro sua salute adire aquam vivam. $ 27. Accede igitur, sive justus sis sive injustus. Nam tibi, si justus es, solum deerat baptizari in salutem et in remissionem eorum quæ in ignorantia perpetrasti. Si vero injustus, relinquitur ut baptismatis bona opereris, juxta impietatis proportionem. Quapropter, sive justus sis sive iniquus, festina nasci Deo: quia dilatio affert periculum: nam incertum est præstitutum morti nostræ tempus. Patri, qui te ex aqua genuit, similitudinem per bona opera ostende. Which may be translated as follows: But some one will perhaps say; "What does it contribute to righteousness to be baptized with water?" In the first place, because you are doing that which pleases God; secondly, being born again to God by water, by reason of your fear, you change your first birth, which you derived from concupiscence, and can thus obtain salvation; otherwise it is impossible. For so the Prophet has sworn to us saying, [John iii, 5,] "Verily I say unto you, unless you be born again with living water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Wherefore draw near. For there is from the beginning something merciful which is borne on the water, [Gen. i, 1,] and it rescues from future torments those who are baptized in the name of the blessed Trinity; and the good deeds which are done by those baptized, after baptism, it offers as a gift to God. Wherefore flee to the water; for this alone it is which can extinguish the violence of future fire. And whoever refuses to come to it, still bears a rabid spirit, for the sake of which he does not wish to come to the living water for his own salvation. eous. $ 27. Approach therefore, whether righteous or unrightFor if righteous, it was only wanting that you should be baptized into salvation and the remission of those sins which you committed in ignorance. But if you be unrighteous, it is left to you to work out the good works of Baptism, in proportion to your impiety. Wherefore, whether righteous or unrigeteous, hasten to be born again to God, for delay brings danger; for the predetermined time of our death is uncertain. Show, by your good works, your likeness to the Father who has begotten you from water. It is remarkable that this is a false quotation from JOHN iii, 5, where the words ξῶντι εἰς ὄνομα Πατρός, Υἱοῦ, ̔Αγίου ПIveúμaτos do not occur. Nearly similar to the beginning of this passage is one from the eighth section of the sixth book of the Recognitions, already given in this Synopsis. $ 35. Τριῶν οὖν μηνῶν πληρωθέντων νηστεῦσαί μοι κελεύσας δι' ἡμερῶν, ἀγαγών με εἰς τὰς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλήσιον οὖσας πηγας, ὡς εἰς ἀένναον ἐβάπτισεν ὕδωρ. Οὕτως οὖν εὐωχηθέντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ θεοδωρήτῳ μου ἀναγεννήσει, μετ ̓ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ... &c. Latin version: Completis ergo tribus mensibus, quum per dies jussisset me jejunare, ducens ad fontes mari vicinos, ut in perenni aqua baptizavit. Sic igitur fratribus nostris feriatis ac lætis, pro mihi a Deo concessa secunda nativitate, Petrus paucis post diebus &c. In English thus: When therefore the three months were passed, and he had ordered me to fast, he led me to the fountains adjacent to the sea and baptized me as in ever-flowing water. Thus therefore having made holiday and rejoiced with our brethren for the second birth granted to me by God, Peter after a few days &c. &c. In the same Bibliotheca veterum Patrum of Gallandius, is "Clementis de Prædicationibus Petri inter peregrinandum epitome." XII. DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE. Dionysius the Areopagite is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, chap. xvii, verse 34: Howbeit certain men clave unto him [Paul] and believed: among the which was DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. Certain works are still extant, bearing the name of Dionysius the Areopagite as their author: but, though we cannot omit to notice them in this work, they possess no claim whatever to be accounted genuine. It is observed by DUPIN, and in the notes to his work, as well as by other authors, that many arguments are alleged to prove the verity and antiquity of these books: yet they may very easily be confuted. The remarks of MOSHEIM are appropriate here: The spuriousness of these works (says he) is now admitted by the most learned and impartial of the Roman Catholic writers, as they contain accounts of many events that happened several ages after the time of Dionysius, and were not at all mentioned until after the fifth century. See Fleury, Hist. Eccles., liv. 54, tom. XI, p. 523, edit. Bruxelles.[ECCLES. HIST., ii, 298]. His works are introduced here, though it may be proved, as DUPIN observes, that an author of this name wrote after the fourth century. DUPIN gives a list of his works; and in the index of authors to Delabigne's Maxima Bibliotheca Patrum he is styled "Sanctus Dionysius Areopagita, Pauli apostoli discipulus." In the second volume of DELABIGNE'S Bibliotheca, part i, pages 197, 198, is DE CŒLESTI HIERARCHIA, cap. 2. The heading to this chapter is as follows: De iis quæ in illuminatione seu Baptismo peraguntur. Synopsis capitis. PRIMA pars capitis ostendit quo modo perveniatur ad vitæ sanctitatem, et quomodo Baptismus sit quædam nativitas spiritualis, atque principium operum supernaturalium; et simul monet, solos sanctos ad sacramentorum aspectum esse admittendos. SECUNDA pars describit solennem ritum baptizandi, qui sic habet: 1. Pontifex sacra promulgat evangelia. 2. Religionis amator patrinum seu susceptorem quærit, a quo instructus ad episcopum adducitur. 3. Hic benigne ipsum accipit. 4. Clerum convocat ad agendas Deo gratias, et a patrino adductum solenni formula interrogat. 5. Infidelitatem detestanti manum imponit, et inscribi jubet. 6. Facta precatione baptizandus exuitur, et fiunt insufflationes. 7. Fit solennis professio fidei, et baptizatur. |