# Summary Of Baptism In The Thirteenth Century. · Page 2 of 2

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By these and similar means the Romanists at this
time, sought to maintain the credit of infant baptism,
which was greatly opposed; to which end tended
also the words of Aquinas, which are as follows:
“The proper administrator of baptism shall be
a priest, whose province it is by virtue of his office,
to baptize; but in cases of necessity, not only a
chaplain, but also a layman, or a woman, yea,
even a heathen or a heretic may baptize, if he only
observes the form of the church, and purposes to do
what the church does. But if a person, from necessity,
is baptized by such an one, he indeed
receives the sacrament, so that he need not be
baptized again; but he does not receive the grace of
baptism, because he is considered as not having
been baptized aright.” Thom. Aquin. de Art.,
Fid., chap. 14, in Bapt. Hist., p. 725.

In the same direction tends what is adduced
in Cent. Magd., XIII., chap. 6, fol. 242, from the
above mentioned synodal book of the bishops of
Nemansa: “But,” say they, “if a child, in case of
290
necessity, has been baptized by a layman, according
to the form prescribed, we command, that said
child, if it survives, be brought as soon as possible
to the priest, who shall diligently examine how
it was baptized; and if he find that the form prescribed
was not observed aright, he shall baptize the
child (again), according to the form of the church.
But if he doubt whether it was rightly baptized,
or not, since perhaps the baptizer did not properly
consider the words which he spoke in baptism,
or because the bystanders were not agreed in this,
or because there is no certainty whether it was baptized
or not, the priest shall baptize it with these
words: ‘If thou art baptized, I baptize thee not
again; but if thou art not baptized, I baptize thee in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.’ In such doubtful cases, however, one
witness is sufficient when more can not be had.”
Bapt. Hist., p. 728.

Who does not see that the Roman church, when
infant baptism was contradicted, endeavored by
these and similar absurdities, to make it appear
to the common people as though infant baptism
were absolutely necessary to salvation, yea, so
necessary that rather than neglect it for want of
a priest, even women, yea, heathen and heretics
whom they otherwise were accustomed to burn,
might baptize the infants if they only observed the
form of baptism employed by the church. Oh
strange theology! Merely to maintain the error
of infant baptism, many other errors were maintained.



## Original source

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