On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book III

Book III

• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.1 — Pelagius Esteemed a Holy Man; His Expositions on Saint Paul. The questions which you proposed that I should write to you about, in opposition to those persons who say that Adam would have died even if he had not…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.2 — Pelagius’ Objection; Infants Reckoned Among the Number of Believers and the Faithful. Chapter 2 [II.]—Pelagius’ Objection; Infants Reckoned Among the Number of Believers and the Faithful. In these terms, then, the…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.3 — Pelagius Makes God Unjust. We are driven at last to yield our assent on divine authority to that which we are unable to investigate with even the clearest intellect. It is well that they remind us themselves that…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.4 — To the other points which Pelagius makes them urge who argue against original sin, I have already, I think, sufficiently and clearly replied in the two former books of my lengthy treatise. Now if my reply should seem…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.5 — Pelagius Praised by Some; Arguments Against Original Sin Proposed by Pelagius in His Commentary. Chapter 5 [III.]—Pelagius Praised by Some; Arguments Against Original Sin Proposed by Pelagius in His Commentary. But…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.6 — Why Pelagius Does Not Speak in His Own Person. Pray, don’t you see how Pelagius has inserted the whole of this paragraph in his writings, not in his own person, but in that of others, knowing so well the novelty of…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.7 — Proof of Original Sin in Infants. Now, although I may not be able myself to refute the arguments of these men, I yet see how necessary it is to adhere closely to the clearest statements of the Scriptures, in order…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.8 — Jesus is the Saviour Even of Infants. And therefore, if there is an ambiguity in the apostle’s words when he says, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so it passed upon all men;” and if it…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.9 — The Ambiguity of 'Adam is the Figure of Him to Come.'. To me, however, no doubt presents itself about the whole of this passage, in which the apostle speaks of the condemnation of many through the sin of one, and the…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.10 — He Shows that Cyprian Had Not Doubted the Original Sin of Infants. Accordingly, it is not without reason that the blessed Cyprian carefully shows how from the very first the Church has held this as a well understood…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.11 — The Ancients Assumed Original Sin. You see with what confidence this great man expresses himself after the ancient and undoubted rule of faith. In advancing such very certain statements, his object was by help of…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.12 — The Universal Consensus Respecting Original Sin. And now, again, with a strange boldness in new controversy, certain persons are endeavouring to make us uncertain on a point which our forefathers used to bring…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.13 — The Error of Jovinianus Did Not Extend So Far. A few years ago there lived at Rome one Jovinian, who is said to have persuaded nuns of even advanced age to marry,—not, indeed, by seduction, as if he wanted to make…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.14 — Chapter 14.—The Opinions of All Controversialists Whatever are Not, However, Canonical Authority; Original Sin, How Another’s; We Were All One Man in Adam. I have not quoted these words as if we might rely upon the…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.15 — We All Sinned Adam’s Sin. Chapter 15 [VIII.]—We All Sinned Adam’s Sin. “It is,” they say, “by no means conceded that God who remits to a man his own sins imputes to him another’s.” He remits, indeed, but it is to…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.16 — Origin of Errors; A Simile Sought from the Foreskin of the Circumcised, and from the Chaff of Wheat. Chapter 16.—Origin of Errors; A Simile Sought from the Foreskin of the Circumcised, and from the Chaff of Wheat.…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.17 — Christians Do Not Always Beget Christian, Nor the Pure, Pure Children. With these and such like palpable arguments, should I endeavour, as I best could, to convince those persons who believed that sacraments of…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.18 — Is the Soul Derived by Natural Propagation?. Well, but “if the soul is not propagated, but the flesh alone, then the latter alone has propagation of sin, and it alone deserves punishment:” this is what they think,…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.19 — Sin and Death in Adam, Righteousness and Life in Christ. What the apostle says: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so it passed upon all men, in which all have sinned;” we must, however,…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.20 — The Sting of Death, What?. But even in the passage to the Corinthians, where he had been treating fully of the resurrection, the apostle concludes his statement in such a way as not to permit us to doubt that the…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.21 — The Precept About Touching the Menstruous Woman Not to Be Figuratively Understood; The Necessity of the Sacraments. Chapter 21 [XII.]—The Precept About Touching the Menstruous Woman Not to Be Figuratively Understood;…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.22 — We Ought to Be Anxious to Secure the Baptism of Infants. Chapter 22 [XIII.]—We Ought to Be Anxious to Secure the Baptism of Infants. For this is the point aimed at by the controversy, against the novelty of which we…vatican.va
• On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants III.23 — Epilogue. As for what they say, that some men, by the use of their reason, have lived, and do live, in this world without sin, we should wish that it were true, we should strive to make it true, we should pray that…vatican.va