A26898:281
Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…
Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part of the government of Christian princes and popes, and a true account of the most troubling controversies and heresies till the Reformation ... / by Richard Baxter ...
London: printed by B. Griffin for Thomas Simmons, 1680
Church-History OF BISHOPS And their COUNCILS ABRIDGED, &c. › Chapter 2
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. 30. X. If they had confined their opinion of rebaptizing to such Heretics as are strictly so called, that renounce any essential Article of the Faith, they might have made the Controversy hard; But as Hereticating increased, so their own difficulties increased. And now the Novatians were pronounced Heretics, it grew a hard question, whether all that the Novatians had baptized must be rebaptized. And for this an African Council, Anno 258. concluded affirmatively: Because all that are baptized are baptized into the Church: But Heretics are not in the Church, and so baptize not into the Church: therefore such must be rebaptized. Cyprian and many very Godly Bishops consented in this error.
§. 30. X. If they had confined their opinion of rebaptizing to such Hereticks as are strictly so called, that renounce any essential Article of the Faith, they might have made the Controversie hard; But as Hereticating increased, so their own difficulties increased. And now the Novatians were pronounced Hereticks, it grew a hard question, whether all that the Novatians had baptized must be rebaptized. And for this an African Council, Anno 258. concluded affirmatively: Because all that are baptized are baptized into the Church: But Hereticks are not in the Church, and so baptize not into the Church: therefore such must be rebaptized. Cyprian and many very Godly Bishops consented in this errour.
§. 31. XI. To try this business further, Cyprian gathered another Council of above 70 Bishops out of Afric and Numidia, and all were desired to ⟨p. 37⟩declare what was the Tradition of their Fathers; And they all agreed that according to Scripture, and Tradition, the Baptism of Heretics was a Nullity, and it was no rebaptization to baptize such as they baptized: (see here what strength is in the Papists argument of Tradition in such cases.) But this Council and their Doctrine Pope Stephen condemned: But they never the more altered their judgments, not believing his Infallibility or power to judge between them in such matters of Faith.
§. 31. XI. To try this business further, Cyprian gathered another Council of above 70 Bishops out of Arick and Numidia, and all were desired to