Chapter 22.—38. Dativus of Badiæ1662
| 1662 Badiæ (Vada) in ecclesiastical province of Numidia. For Dativus see Cypr. Epp. lxxvi., lxxvii.
|
said "We, so
far as
lies within our
power, refuse to communicate with a heretic, unless he has been
baptized in the
Church, and received
remission of his
sins."
1663
| 1663 Conc. Carth. sec. 15.
|
39. The answer to this is: If your reason for wishing him to be baptized is that he has not received remission of sins, supposing you find a man within the Church who has been baptized, though entertaining hatred towards his brother, since the Lord cannot lie, who says, "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,"1664
will you bid such an one, when corrected, to be
baptized afresh? Assuredly not; so neither should you bid the heretic. It is clear that we must not pass unnoticed why he did not briefly say, "We do not communicate with a heretic," but added, "so
far as
lies within our
power." For he saw that a greater number agreed with this view, from whose
communion, however, he and his
friends could not separate themselves, lest
unity should be impaired, and so he added, "so
far as
lies within our
power,"—showing beyond all doubt that he did not willingly communicate with those whom he held to be without
baptism, but that yet all things were to be
endured for the sake of
peace and
unity; just as was done also by those who thought that Dativus and his party were in the wrong, and who held what afterwards was taught by a fuller declaration of the
truth, and urged by ancient
custom, which received the stronger confirmation of a later
Council; yet in turn, with anxious
piety,
they showed toleration towards each other, though without violation of
Christian charity they
entertained different opinions, endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the
bond of
peace,
1665
till
God should
reveal to one of them, were he otherwise
minded, even this error of his ways.
1666
And to this I would have those give heed, by whom
unity is attacked on the authority of this very Council by which it is declared how much unity should be loved.
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