# Jerome’S Views Touching Several Other Matters Of Faith, According To P. J. Twisck’S Chronijk, Etc., Page 129, Col. 1, 2.

4th century (source section) · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: JEROME’S VIEWS TOUCHING SEVERAL OTHER MATTERS OF FAITH, ACCORDING TO P. J. TWISCK’S CHRONIJK, ETC., PAGE 129, COL. 1, 2.

Century of containing source section; exact event date not assigned

“Jerome, born of Christian parents, and brought
up and instructed in the Christian doctrine, was
baptized at Rome, in the thirtieth year of his age.”
Erasmus, Grondig Bewijs, letter A., Mart. Ball.,
fol. 102.

“Again, Jerome plainly says, respecting the
words of the Supper, that with this bread Christ
intended to prefigure, represent, and show the truth
of his body, and in many places he calls the cup a
figure of the blood.

“Again, he teaches, on Matt. 16, that the priests
have no more, or just as little, power, to bind or to
loose, than the priests of the Old Testament had, to
pronounce the lepers clean or unclean. The words
of the priest made them neither clean nor unclean,
but simply indicated who, according to the law of
Moses, was leprous or not leprous; so now the
bishop, according to the law of Christ, pronounces,
whose sins are retained, and whose are forgiven.

“Again, he also maintains that all days should be
esteemed alike, and that men should constantly
keep Easter and Sabbath.

“He would likewise have that men should fast
daily, ‘for, what avails it,’ says he, ‘if you carry
around an empty stomach, for two or three days,
and then overload it? Daily you must hunger, and
daily you must eat; you must fast so as not to injure
the body, but to subdue and break the desires.’

“Again: ‘The Roman church is not to be esteemed
more highly than the church of the whole
world, whether of France, or of Britannia, etc.
But to worship one Christ, and to have one Ruler,
or teacher, of the truth, this constitutes a church.’
Chron. Fra., fol. 65, 86.

“Again, of Antichrist he says: ‘And do we not
know that the coming of antichrist is nigh at hand?
He shall sit in the temple of God, that is to say, in
Jerusalem, or in the church, as I apprehend with
more truth. Antichrist shall war against the heathen
and overcome them.’

“Again: ‘While man lives here, he may be justified,
but after death he has no more opportunity to
do good works, though some controvert this, saying
that men may increase or decrease even after
they have died. While we are in this present life,
we may help one another by prayer or deeds; but
when we come before the judgment seat of God,
neither Job, nor Daniel, nor Noah, can pray for
any one; then every one must bear his own burden.’
Valent. Vanius, fol. 112.

“Again, Jerome says: ‘He that is spiritual never
persecutes him that is carnal. I have learned from
the command of the apostles, to avoid a heretic, but
not to burn him. Christ came not to smite, but to
be smitten. He that is smitten, follows Christ; but
he that smites, follows antichrist.’

“ ‘Again, the Lord commanded his apostles that
they should first instruct and teach all nations, and
then baptize those instructed, in the sacrament of
faith; for it is not possible for the body to receive
the sacrament of baptism, unless the soul have previously
received the true faith.’ ” P. J. Twisck,
Chron., 4th book, page 129.

That also in Thessalia infant baptism was not
much practiced at this time, A. D. 390, is shown
by Socrates, Bapt. Hist., p. 363, book 5, chap. 21,
with these words: “Besides, I also know of another
custom in Thessalia, namely, that there they baptize
only on Easter days; hence nearly all, few excepted,
die without baptism.” See also, H. Montan.
Nietigheyd, page 71.

But some one may ask: With what words is it
expressed in the passage cited, that also in Thessalia
infant baptism was not much practiced in A. D. 390,
which the writer so confidently asserts. I answer:
He expresses two reasons whereby he proves it; in
the first place, because, as he says, It was the custom
there, to baptize only on Easter days, which
indicates that said baptism was not, as Cyprian and
his followers had commanded, administered to newborn
infants, for these were not born just on Easter
days, and, hence, could not be baptized on Easter
days, from which it follows that the custom of baptizing
on Easter days, was not instituted for newborn
infants, but for adult persons, who could prepare
themselves for that time. In the second place,
when he says, That therefore nearly all, few excepted,
died without baptism, it is certainly obvious from
this, that all who died without baptism, had not
been baptized in their infancy, and that, consequently,
many persons were found at this time, who
allowed their children to remain unbaptized.

A. D. 391.—It is stated that Augustine (notwithstanding
he afterwards became infected with the
doctrine of infant baptism), though born of a Christian
mother, and the descendant of Christian ancestors,
was not baptized before he was in his thirtieth
year, (Nauclerus, book 14, Generat., says, in his
thirty-third year, by bishop Ambrose, at Milan, on
Easter.)

164

Jacob Mehrning and H. Montanus thus relate
this, namely, that Monica, Augustine’s mother,
who, though born of Christian parents, was not baptized
until she had reached adult years, likewise did
not have her son Augustine baptized in his infancy;
but that he was baptized when he was already thirty-three,
others say, thirty, years old. It is true,
we read, say they, that, having become a youth,
and fallen very sick, he desired to be baptized; and
also, that his mother was engaged then in preparing
him for baptism. But when he suddenly recovered
from his sickness, his baptism was deferred. Augustine
was at that time of such an age, that if he had
been baptized, it would really not have been infant
baptism, but a baptism which might have been
counted with the baptism of adults, had it sprung
from a voluntary resolution, for it should have been
connected, as Augustine himself declares with his
faith and the confession of the name of Christ,
which cannot be the case in the baptism of infants.

Augustine there also relates why his mother at
that time deferred his baptism, namely, because she,
foreseeing the many and great billows of temptation
which would roll over his head in his youthful
years, feared that the guilt of his sins, after the
washing of baptism, would be the greater and more
dangerous, which he himself and the whole family,
with the exception of his father, then believed. He
also tells us, that there were others, too, at that
time, who put off or omitted the baptism of their
children, from such considerations. Bapt. Hist.,
pages 363, 364. H. Montan. Nietigh., pages 71, 72.

It appears, moreover, that on that occasion not
only Augustine was baptized upon the confession of
his faith, but also his son Adeodatus, and his friend
Alipius, concerning which we find this notice. Bapt.
Hist., page 444, Augustine, bishop of Hippon, in
Africa, when he was thirty-three years old, was baptized
at Milan, by bishop Ambrose, together with
Alipius, and Adeodatus, his natural son, who was
fifteen years old at the time. Of this, Augustine,
in the 9th book, 6th chap., of his Confessions, says:
“When the time had come, that I was to have my
name entered on the register of the candidates for
baptism, I left the country, and again journeyed to
Milan. My dear friend Alipius desired to be baptized
with me. Alipius, who was qualified for it, on
account of his humility, and the dominion he had
over his body, so that in case of emergency, he
would have traveled barefoot in winter through the
snow in Italy, accompanied me. We took with us
the child (that is, the youth) Adeodatus, begotten
by me in sin. Thou, O Lord, didst form him well,
according to both soul and body. He was now
about fifteen years old, and excelled many worthy
and learned men.” A little further on, he says:
“We have made him our equal, O Lord, in the
reception of thy grace, in order to be further trained
up in thy law and school; we are baptized, and the
care of our old life has been taken away from us. I
could not be satisfied in those days, with the wonderful
sweetness which I experienced in the contemplation
of the mysteriousness of thy counsel, O
Lord, with regard to the salvation of the human
race. O how I wept, amidst songs of praise. The
tears ran down my cheeks.” Thus far, Augustine.

NOTE. A. D. 392.—The Apollinarians, who derived
their origin from Apollinaris, denied that
Christ adopted his humanity from the virgin Mary,
saying that the word became flesh. P. J. Twisck,
Chron., 4th book, page 130, from Tripart., lib. 9.
Vincent. Hist., cap. 44. Zeg., fol. 189.

A. D. 393.—Valentinian, or Valens, the son of
Christian parents (Valentinian and Justina), was
induced to journey to Milan, to be baptized by Ambrose,
but was treacherously murdered on the way
by one Arbogastes. H. Montan., page 70, from
Socrat., lib. 4, cap. 9, 26. H. Montanus, however,
erroneously, fixes the date of this occurrence about
A. D. 380.

My dear friends, is it not a sad thing, that this
man, namely Augustine, who thus defended baptism
upon faith, yea confirmed it with his own
example, and the example of his son Adeodatus,
and his friend Alipius, whom he had admonished
thereto, should ultimately fall so far as to admit,
yea to become a defender of infant baptism! Surely,
it is a lamentable matter. For, no one can deny,
that in the beginning right after his baptism, he was
exceedingly zealous in defense of the true baptism,
which is received with a penitent heart; but, that in
the course of time he apostatized to infant baptism,
can likewise not be denied by any lover of truth.
Still, the example of Augustine, his son Adeodatus,
and his friend Alipius, serves to confirm our faith,
inasmuch as we see that in Augustine’s time the
principal Christians allowed their children to remain
unbaptized, until they were grown up and, of their
own accord desired baptism; for, thus did Monica
with her son Augustine, and Augustine with his
son Adeodatus, and his friend Alipius, which is a
clear proof of the matter in question, namely, that
not infant baptism, but baptism upon faith, was
practiced among the chief Christians.





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