The Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Divided into three parts, dialogue wiseThe Christian disputations, by Master Peter Viret. Deuided into three partes, dialogue wise

Theophilus. I believe that thou art not ignorant, how your ¹own doctors, do answer to that place: Among which Holcot repugneth Saint Augustine, saying: that his exception is not sufficient, and that the man which knoweth Jesus Christ, may be saved without baptism, by an ⟨image 244⟩other means then by martyrdom. But which is more, he affirmeth, that the man which believeth himself to be perfectly baptised, & yet nevertheless is not, shall be out of all danger of damnation: and saith that that saith should s•rue him to salvation, although that it were builded upon a falsity. But what is he among us, which is perfectly assured whether he be baptised or no. Howe can we know it, but by the witness of an other? Therefore the master of the sentences answereth, upon the objections made by thee, that we must understand the words of saint Augustine, according to the declaration that he hath given in other places, in which he entreateth that matter more amply: And therefore saith he, we must understand those things, of those which have had ²the time and leisure for to be baptised, & have not done it. For if any having faith and charity would be baptised, ³and cannot, being overtaken with necessity, the benignity & liberality of y• most puissant God, recompenseth ⁴y• which wanted in the sacrament. For when he may pay, if he do not pay, he abideth bound: But when he cannot and yet nevertheless he is willing to do it, God which hath not tied his power unto the sacraments, imputeth it not unto him. I have alleged unto thee the very words even as they be written in the book of the master of the sentences which yet proveth by saint Augustine, that the invisible sanctification, hath been in some, and hath profited ⁵them without the visible sacraments, saying after this manner: the visible sanctification, the which is done by the visible sacrament, may be without the invisible: but it cannot profit. Yet we must not nevertheless contemn and despise the visible sacrament. For the contemner of the same, cannot be sanctified inuisibe. And notwithstanding that Holcot alloweth that which others have written of the baptism of blood, he declareth yet nevertheless sufficiently enough, that he which without