# Hilarius On Baptism And Several Other Articles Of His Faith, According To The Account Of P. J. Twisck. · Page 3 of 3

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A. D. 363 and 364.—In the time of Julian the
apostate there lived and shone as bright lights,
various excellent men, whose learning and piety it
is not necessary to extol, since it is sufficiently
known. They gave expression to their orthodox
convictions by word and by deed, especially with
regard to the matter of baptism, that it ought to be
administered after previous instruction, upon faith
and repentance.

At the same time, A. D. 363, there lived Ambrose,
who is stated to have been born of Christian
parents. His father’s name was also Ambrose,
while that of his mother was Marcellina. He, too,
was not baptized until the day on which he was
chosen bishop of Milan, after having been instructed
in the catechism, that is, in the doctrines of the
faith.[103](/en/stories/mm-footnotes/part-9/#Footnote_103) See concerning this, Tract van den loop der
wereld, by F. H. H., printed 1611, page 47, 48,
from Paul, de vita Ambrosii. Naucler. Chron.
Generat. 13.

Such a procedure, namely, thus precipitately to
elect any one bishop or teacher, as is stated here
concerning Ambrose, we do not commend; but we
notice here, that Christians at that time had not
generally adopted infant baptism; nay, that some,
notwithstanding the papal power, purposely did not
have their children baptized; causing them, when
they had reached maturer years, to be instructed
first, and then baptized, upon their own confession.

Ambrose (Serm. 61) makes the statement: “It
was customary for all people to be baptized at
Easter.” In Lib. de Jejunio, cap. 10, he says:
“Now comes the day of the resurrection; now the
elect are baptized.” Yet on 1 Tim. 4, he says that
the sick were baptized on any day. Jac. Mehrn.,
Bapt. Hist., 2d part, page 334.

These words of Ambrose confirm our preceding
assertion; for when he says that at Easter it was
customary to baptize all people, he sufficiently declares
that at that time infant baptism was not a
custom. For not only at Easter, but throughout
the whole year, children are born, the baptism of
which, because of the danger that they might die,
could never have been postponed until Easter, had
infant baptism been deemed necessary for salvation.
But Ambrose removes all doubt when he says what
persons were baptized then, namely, all people;
for by the word people there are generally understood
adult or rational persons, and not infants in
the cradle.

Moreover, when he writes that the sick were
baptized on any day, he proves thereby, that infant
baptism was not practiced in the church of which he
speaks. For, if it had been customary there, to
baptize infants, it would not have been necessary to
baptize the sick on any day, since they would have
been baptized already in their infancy; or our opponents
must show that the sick, who were baptized
any day, were also baptized in their infancy; which
they dare not maintain, seeing these churches would
then have to be regarded anabaptistic. Nevertheless,
one of two things must follow: Either that the
sick who were baptized in their infancy were rebaptized,
or that the adults baptized had not been baptized
in their infancy. If the former is true, then the
Anabaptists, as they are called, flourished already
in those early times. But if the latter is true, then
there were at that time whole churches who rejected
infant baptism, or, at least, suffered their children
to remain unbaptized. This is so clear that it cannot
be refuted.



## Original source

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