Ista ergo dicuntur baptismata, quia habent effectum baptismi; sed tantum unum baptisma, quia non agunt nisi illud habeatur in proposito.
Therefore, the others are called baptisms, because they produce the effect of baptism; but there is only one baptism, because the others produce no effect, unless the first is intended.
284. Secundum sacramentum intrantium est in ipsa manuum impositione. Ideo dicit impositionis quoque manuum.
284. The second sacrament of those who are entering is imposed by the laying on of hands; hence, he says, and imposition of hands.
Haec autem est duplex. Una est miracula faciens, sicut quando Christus per manus impositionem curabat infirmos Lc. IV, 40: singulis manus imponens curabat eos et haec non est sacramentalis.
But this is twofold: one is productive of miracles, as when Christ cured the sick by laying his hands on them: he, laying his hands on every one of them, cured them (Luke 4:40). And this is not sacramental.
Alia est sacramentalis, et haec est duplex. Una in sacramento ordinis. I Tim. V, 22: manus nemini cito imposueris. Alia est in sacramento confirmationis ad renovationem. Tit. III, 5: per lavacrum regenerationis et renovationis Spiritus Sancti, et cetera. In confirmatione enim datur Spiritus ad robur, ut scilicet audacter homo confiteatur nomen Christi coram hominibus. Sicut enim in esse naturae prius generatur homo, et postea augetur et roboratur, ita in esse gratiae.
But the other is sacramental and is found in two sacraments: first, in the sacrament of orders: impose not hands lightly on anyone (1 Tim 5:22); second, in the sacrament of confirmation unto renovation: by the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). For in confirmation the Holy Spirit is given for strength to enable a man to boldly confess Christ’s name before men. For just as in the natural order a man is first born and then grows and becomes strong, so too, in the order of grace.
285. Tertio sequitur terminus motus, ad quem motus terminatur, et ille est duplex. Duo enim expectamus: primum est resurrectio corporum et ista est fidei fundamentum, quia sine hac inanis est fides nostra, I Cor. c. XV, 14. Ideo dicit de resurrectione mortuorum.
285. Third, there follows the terminus of motion, at which the motion is terminated. This is twofold: the first is the resurrection of bodies, which is the foundation of faith, because without it our faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:14). Therefore, he says, of the resurrection of the dead.
Item expectamus remunerationem, quae fiet per iudicem. Eccle. XII, 14: cuncta quae fiunt adducet Deus in iudicium. Et ideo dicit iudicii aeterni, non quod illud iudicium duret per mille annos, sicut voluit Lactantius, sed totum erit in momento. Sed dicitur aeternum, quia sententia quae ibi dabitur, in aeternum durabit. Matth. XXV, 46: ibunt hi in supplicium aeternum: iusti autem in vitam aeternam.
Second, we expect a reward, which is conferred by the judge: all things that are done, God will bring into judgment (Eccl 12:14); therefore, he says, and of eternal judgment: not that that judgment will last a thousand years, as Lactantius taught, because it will last but a moment. But it is called eternal because the sentence passed then will last for ever: these shall go into eternal punishment, but the just into eternal life (Matt 15:46).
Et sciendum est, quod omnia ista, quae dicit se velle hic tractare, sunt quasi quaedam rudimenta fidei. Unde praedicat ea novitiis Act. XVII, 18 ss. et in multis aliis locis.
It should be noted that all the things he says he desires to treat here are, as it were, the rudiments of the faith; hence he preaches them to newcomers, as is recorded in Acts 17:18 and in other places.
286. Deinde cum dicit et hoc faciemus, ostendit difficultatem propositi sui exequendi: difficile enim est, et in se, et respectu auditorum.
286. Then when he says and this will we do, he shows how difficult it is to carry out his intention. For it is difficult both in itself and in relation to his hearers.
Unde tria facit.
Hence he does three things.
Primo innuit, quod in hoc potissime indigeat divino auxilio;
First, he suggests that in this he especially needs divine help;
secundo subdit quorumdam imbecillitatem, ibi impossibile est enim;
second, he mentions their weakness, at for it is impossible;
tertio adducit quamdam similitudinem, ibi terra enim.
third, he proposes a simile, at for the earth (Heb 6:7).
287. Dicit ergo: feramur ad perfectum, et hoc faciemus, siquidem permiserit Deus.
287. He says, therefore: let us go on to things more perfect . . . and this we will do, if God permit.
Minus autem dicit, et plus significat. Nam non est tantum necessarium quod dominus permittat, sed oportet quod omnia faciat. Sap. VII, 16: in manu Dei nos et sermones nostri. Et ideo debet omnia ponere sub confidentia divini auxilii.
He says less than he means, for it is not only necessary that God permit, but he must do all things: in his hand are both we and our words (Wis 7:16). Therefore, he must place all things under the confidence of divine help.
Io. XV, 15: sine me nihil potestis facere. Iac. IV, 15: pro ut dicatis, si Deus voluerit, et si vixerimus faciemus.
Without me you can do nothing (John 16:5); for you should say: if the Lord will, and if we shall live, we will do this or that (Jas 4:15).
288. Deinde cum dicit impossibile est, ostendit imbecillitatem eorum: erant enim imbecilles ad audiendum. Sicut in corporalibus nullus status est ita periculosus, sicut recidivantium, ita in spiritualibus, qui post gratiam cadit in peccatum, difficilius surgit ad bonum.
288. Then when he says, it is impossible, he shows their weakness. For they were weak to hear (Heb 5:11). For just as in material things no state is so dangerous as that of those who fall back, so in spiritual things one who falls into sin after grace rises with more difficulty.
Et circa hoc facit tria:
In regard to this he does three things:
primo proponit bona quae perceperant;
first, he lists the good things they had received;
secundo difficultatem causatam in eis ex recidivo, ibi et prolapsi sunt;
second, the difficulty caused in them from being received, at and are fallen away;
tertio assignat rationem, ibi rursus crucifigentes.
third, he assigns the reason, at crucifying again.
289. Bona autem quaedam sunt praesentia, quaedam vero futura.
289. Some of the goods are present, and some future.
Ipsi vero in praesenti habuerunt spiritualem regenerationem, et quantum ad hoc dicit illuminati, scilicet per baptismum. Et congrue dicitur baptismus illuminatio, quia baptismus est principium regenerationis spiritualis, in qua intellectus illuminatur per fidem. Eph. V, v. 8: eratis aliquando tenebrae, nunc autem lux in Domino.
But in the present they had spiritual rebirth; in regard to this he says illuminated, namely by baptism. And baptism is fittingly called an enlightenment, because it is the beginning of spiritual rebirth, in which the intellect is enlightened by faith: you were heretofore darkness but now light in the Lord (Eph 5:8).
Habent etiam bonorum Dei participationem, et quantum ad hoc dicit et gustaverunt donum caeleste. Donum istud est gratia, et dicitur caeleste, quia a caelis Deus eam dat. Ps. LXVII, 19: dedit dona hominibus, et Iac. c. I, 17: omne datum optimum, et omne donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a Patre luminum.
They are also partakers of God’s goods; hence he says, who have tasted also the heavenly gift. That gift is grace and is called heavenly, because God gave it from heaven: God gave gifts to men (Ps 68:19); every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (Jas 1:17).
Est etiam in eis participatio divinae bonitatis. II Pet. I, 4: per quem, scilicet Christum, maxima nobis et pretiosa promissa donavit. Ideo dicit participes facti Spiritus Sancti. Omnia enim dona dantur ex amore: et ideo istam participationem attribuit Spiritui Sancto. Est autem participare, partem capere. Solum autem Christus Spiritum Sanctum habuit ad plenitudinem. Io. III, 34: non enim ad mensuram dat Deus Spiritum. Alii enim sancti de eius plenitudine receperunt, et participes facti sunt, non quidem substantiae, sed distributionum eius. Supra II, 4: et variis Spiritus Sancti distributionibus. I Cor. XII, 4: divisiones gratiarum sunt, idem autem Spiritus, et cetera.
They are also partakers of the divine goodness: for by whom he has given most great and precious promises (2 Pet 1:4). Therefore, he says, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit. For all gifts are given from love; therefore, he attributes that participation to the Holy Spirit. For to participate is to take a part. But Christ alone had the Holy Spirit in fullness: God does not give the Spirit by measure (John 3:24). For the other saints received of his fullness and were made partakers not of his substance, but of his distributions: diverse distributions of the Holy Spirit (Heb 2:4). There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit (1 Cor 12:4).
Item in praesenti habuerunt doctrinae eruditionem. Et quantum ad hoc dicit gustaverunt nihilominus bonum Dei verbum. Verbum istud dicitur bonum, quia est verbum vitae aeternae. Io. VI, 69: Domine, ad quem ibimus? Verba vitae aeternae habes. Ps. CXVIII, v. 103: quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua. Dicit autem gustaverunt, quia non solum illuminat intellectum, sed etiam reficit affectum, in quo est quaedam saporatio. Ps. XXXIII, 8: gustate et videte, quoniam suavis est Dominus.
Also in the present day they had instruction of his doctrine; hence, he says, have moreover tasted the good word of God. That word is called good, because it is the word of eternal life: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:69); how sweet are your words to my palate (Ps 119:103). But he says, tasted, because it not only enlightens the intellect, but also refreshes the affections, in which there is a certain savoring: taste and see that the Lord is sweet (Ps 34:9).
290. Bona autem futura habuerunt in spe. Rom. VIII, 24: spe salvi facti sumus. Et ideo dicit virtutesque saeculi venturi. Horum autem quaedam habent non solum in spe, sed etiam in quadam inchoatione, et illae sunt dotes animae, scilicet visio, tentio et fruitio, et illa habentur in quadam inchoatione, inquantum fides, spes et caritas, quae istis respondent, habentur in praesenti. Alia autem sunt bona, quae solum habentur in spe, ut dotes corporis, scilicet subtilitas, agilitas, impassibilitas, claritas.
290. We are saved by hope (Rom 8:24). Therefore, he says, and the powers of the world to come. But some of these they have not only in hope, but also in an inchoate way, and these are the endowments of the soul, namely, vision, possession, and fruition, and these are possessed inchoatively inasmuch as faith, hope, and charity, which correspond to them, are possessed in the present. But the others are goods possessed only in hope, as the endowments of the body, namely, subtility, agility, impassability, and clarity.
291. Consequenter cum dicit et prolapsi sunt, ostendit difficultatem ad resurgendum, causatam ex casu.
291. Then when he says, and are fallen away, he shows the difficulty in rising after one has fallen.
Ubi notandum est, quod non dicit lapsi simpliciter, sed prolapsi, id est, totaliter lapsi: quia si lapsi tantum essent, non ita difficile foret resurgere. Prov. XXIV, 16: septies in die cadit iustus, et resurgit.
Here it should be noted that he does not simply say fallen, but fallen away, i.e., completely fallen, because if they had merely fallen, it should not be difficult to rise: a just man shall fall seven times, and shall rise again (Prov 24:16).
Quod si diceret Apostolus illos qui prolapsi sunt impossibile esse resurgere, tunc posset dici, quod in hoc notat maximam difficultatem resurgendi, scilicet et propter peccatum, et propter superbiam, sicut patet in daemonibus. Sed quia dicit illos, qui semel prolapsi sunt non posse rursus renovari ad poenitentiam, nec est aliquod peccatum in hoc mundo, a quo non possit homo poenitere, ideo aliter est intelligendum.
But if the Apostle had said it is impossible for those who have fallen away to rise again, then it might be said that in this he was signifying how extremely difficult it is to rise, both because of sin and because of pride, as in the demons. But because he says that those who have once fallen away cannot be renewed again to penance, and there is no sin in this world that man cannot repent of, there must be another explanation.
Unde sciendum est, quod ex hoc loco sumpsit Novatus quidam, qui fuit presbyter Ecclesiae Romanae, occasionem errandi. Voluit enim, quod nullus post baptismum posset ad poenitentiam resurgere. Sed ista positio falsa est, sicut dicit Athanasius in epistola ad Serapionem, quia ipse Paulus recepit incaestuosum Corinthium, sicut patet II Cor. II, 5 ss., et similiter Gal. IV, 19, quia dicit: filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, et cetera. Est ergo intelligendum, sicut dicit Augustinus, quod non dicit quod impossibile est poenitere, sed quod impossibile est rursus renovari, id est baptizari. Tit. III, 5: per lavacrum regenerationis et renovationis, et cetera. Numquam enim posset homo sic poenitere, quod posset iterum baptizari. Et hoc dicit Apostolus, quia secundum legem Iudaei multoties baptizantur, sicut patet Mc. VII, 3 s. Et ideo ad istum errorem removendum, dicit hoc Apostolus.
Hence, it should be noted that a certain Novatian, who was a priest of the Church in Rome, made this the occasion of his error. For he declared that no one could rise to penance after baptism. But this opinion is false, as Athanasius says in a letter to Serapion, because Paul himself received the incestuous Corinthians, as shown in 2 Corinthians (2 Cor 2); and likewise in Galatians (Gal 4:19), because he says: my little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you. Therefore, it must be understood, as Augustine says, that he does not say that it is impossible to repent, but that it is impossible to be renewed again, i.e., baptized: by the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). For a man could never repent in such a way that he could be baptized again. The Apostle says this because according to the law, the Jews were baptized frequently (Mark 7:3–4). Consequently, it was in order to remove that error that the Apostle says this.
292. Deinde cum dicit rursus crucifigentes, etc., assignat rationem quare baptismus non iteratur, quia scilicet baptismus est quaedam configuratio mortis Christi, sicut patet Rom. VI, 3: quicumque in Christo baptizati sumus. Haec autem non iteratur, quia Christus resurgens ex mortuis iam non moritur, Rom. VI, 9. Qui ergo iterato baptizantur, rursum Christum crucifigunt.
292. Then when he says, crucifying again to themselves the Son of God and making him a mockery, he gives the reason why baptism cannot be repeated, namely because baptism is a configuration to Christ’s death, as is clear from Romans: all we who are baptized in Christ, are baptized in his death (Rom 6:13). But this death is not repeated, because Christ rising again from the dead, dies now no more (Rom 6:9). Therefore, those who are repeatedly baptized crucify Christ again.
Vel aliter, quod denotetur repugnantia gratiae Christi, ut scilicet velint frequenter peccare et post iterum baptizari, ut scilicet non referatur ad iterationem baptismi, sed ad lapsum eorum, qui peccant. Qui scilicet quantum in ipsis est, rursus crucifigunt Christum, quia Christus pro peccatis nostris mortuus est semel, I Pet. III, 18. Cum ergo peccas baptizatus, quantum in te est, das occasionem, ut iterum Christus crucifigatur, et sic contumelia fit Christo, in cuius sanguine te lotum maculas. Apoc. I, 5: dilexit nos, et lavit nos a peccatis nostris in sanguine suo.
Or, another way, it denotes that is is repugnant to Christ’s grace for people to sin frequently and then be baptized again. Then the emphasis is not on the repetition of baptism, but on the falling away of the sinner, who, as far as in him lies, crucifies Christ again: Christ died once for our sins (1 Pet 3:18). Therefore, when you sin after baptism, then as far as in you lies, you give occasion for Christ to be crucified again; and in this way hold him up to contempt and stain yourself, washed in his blood: he loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood (Rev 1:15).
Lectio 2
Lecture 2
Terra bona et mala
Good and bad earth
6:7 Terra enim saepe venientem super se bibens imbrem, et generans herbam opportunam illis, a quibus colitur, accipit benedictionem a Deo: [n. 293]
6:7 For the earth, that drinks in the rain which comes often upon it and brings forth herbs meet for them by whom it is tilled, receives blessing from God. [n. 293]
6:8 proferens autem spinas ac tribulos, reproba est, et maledicto proxima: cujus consummatio in combustionem. [n. 300]
6:8 But that which brings forth thorns and briers is reprobate and very near unto a curse: whose end is to be burnt. [n. 300]