§9Quot igitur patrocinia naturae, quot priuilegia gratiae, quot sollemnia disciplinae figurae praestructiones precationes religionem aquae ordinauerunt? primo quidem cum populus de Aegypto liber et expeditus uim regis Aegypti per aquam transgressus euadit, ipsum regem cum totis copiis aqua extinxit.
How many, then, are the patronages of nature, how many the privileges of grace, how many the solemnities of discipline, the figures, the pre-constructions, the prayers, which have ordained the religion of water? First, indeed, when the people, free and unencumbered from Egypt, escaped by crossing the violence of the king of Egypt through the water, the water destroyed the king himself with all his forces.
quae figura manifestior in baptismi sacramento? liberantur de saeculo nationes per aquam scilicet et diabolum dominatorem pristinum in aqua oppressum derelinquunt.
What figure is more manifest in the sacrament of baptism? The nations are freed from the world, namely through water, and they leave behind the devil, their former ruler, overwhelmed in the water.
item aqua de amaritudinis uitio in usum commodae suauitatis Mosei ligno remediatur.
Likewise, water is cured of the vice of bitterness into the use of convenient sweetness by the wood of Moses.
lignum illud erat Christus uenenatae et amarae retro naturae uenas in saluberrimas aquas baptismi scilicet ex sese remedians.
That wood was Christ, curing from Himself the veins of a nature previously poisoned and bitter into the most wholesome waters of baptism.
haec est aqua, quae de comite petra populo defluebat.
This is the water which flowed down to the people from the accompanying rock.
si enim petra Christus, sine dubio aqua in Christo baptismum uidemus benedici.
For if the rock is Christ, without doubt we see baptism in water blessed in Christ.
quanta aquae gratia penes deum et Christum eius est ad baptismi confirmationem! nunquam sine aqua Christus: siquidem et ipse aqua tinguitur, prima rudimenta potestatis suae uocatus ad nuptias aqua auspicatur, cum sermonem facit, sitientes ad aquam suam inuitat sempiternam, cum de agape docet, aquae calicem pauperi oblatum inter opera dilectionis probat, apud puteum uires resumit, super aquam incedit, libenter transfretat,.
How great is the grace of water with God and His Christ for the confirmation of baptism? Christ is never without water: since indeed He Himself is washed in water, He inaugurates the first beginnings of His power with water when called to the marriage, when He makes a discourse, He invites the thirsty to His eternal water, when He teaches about agape, He approves a cup of water offered to a poor man among the works of love, He recovers His strength at the well, He walks upon the water, He willingly crosses the sea,.
aquam discentibus ministrat.
He ministers water to His disciples.
perseuerat testimonium baptismi usque ad passionem: cum deditur in crucem, aqua interuenit; sciunt Pilati manus: cum uulneratur, aqua de latere prorumpit; scit lancea militis.
The testimony of baptism perseveres even to His passion: when He is given up to the cross, water intervenes (Pilate's hands know this); when He is wounded, water bursts forth from His side (the soldier's lance knows this).
§10Diximus, quantum mediocritati nostrae licuit, de uniuersis quae baptismi religionem struunt; nunc ad reliquum statum eius aeque ut potero progrediar de quaestiunculis quibusdam.
We have spoken, as far as our mediocrity permitted, about all things that build up the religion of baptism; now I shall proceed to the remaining state of it, as well as I can, concerning certain small questions.
baptismus ab Iohanne denuntiatus iam tunc habuit quaestionem, ab ipso quidem domino propositam Pharisaeis, caelestisne is baptismus esset an uero terrenus? de quo illi non ualuerunt constanter respondere, utpote non intellegentes, quia nec credentes.
The baptism announced by John already at that time had a question, proposed indeed by the Lord Himself to the Pharisees, whether that baptism was heavenly or indeed earthly? Concerning which they were not able to answer consistently, as not understanding, because they did not believe.
nos porro quantula fide sumus, tantulo et intellectu possumus aestimare diuinum quidem eum baptismum fuisse, mandatu tamen, non et potestate, quod et Iohannem a domino missum legimus in hoc munus ceterum humanum condicione.
We, on the other hand, with however small faith we have, with just as small understanding can estimate that that baptism was indeed divine, yet by command, not also in power, because we read that John also was sent by the Lord for this office, though otherwise human in condition.
nihil enim caeleste praestabat, sed caelestibus praeministrabat paenitentiae scilicet praepositus, quae est in hominis potestate.
For he performed nothing heavenly, but ministered beforehand to heavenly things, being set over repentance indeed, which is in the power of man.
denique legis doctores et Pharisaei, qui credere noluerunt, nec paenitentiam egere.
Finally, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, who would not believe, did not perform repentance either.
quod si paenitentia humanum est, et baptismus ipsius eiusdem condicionis fuerit necesse est, aut daret et spiritum sanctum et remissionem delictorum, si caelestis fuisset.
But if repentance is a human thing, it is necessary that his baptism also should have been of the same condition; otherwise, it would have given both the Holy Spirit and the remission of sins, if it had been heavenly.
sed neque peccatum dimittit neque spiritum indulget nisi deus solus.
But none forgives sin or grants the Spirit except God alone.
etiam ipse dominus, nisi ipse prius ascenderet ad patrem, aliter negauit spiritum descensurum.
Even the Lord Himself denied that the Spirit would descend in any other way, unless He Himself first ascended to the Father.
id quod dominus nondum conferebat, seruus utique praestare non potuisset.
That which the Lord was not yet conferring, a servant certainly could not have provided.
adeo postea in Actis Apostolorum inuenimus, quoniam, qui Iohannis baptismum habebant, non accepissent spiritum sanctum, quem ne auditu quidem nouerant.
So we find afterwards in the Acts of the Apostles, that those who had John's baptism had not received the Holy Spirit, of whom they had not even heard by report.
ergo non erat caeleste, quod caelestia non exhibebat, cum ipsum, quod caeleste in Iohanne fuerat, spiritus prophetiae, post totius spiritus in dominum translationem usque adeo defecerit, ut quem praedicauerat, quem aduenientem designauerat, postmodum an ipse esset miserit sciscitatum.
Therefore it was not heavenly, because it did not exhibit heavenly things, since even that which had been heavenly in John, the spirit of prophecy, after the transfer of the whole Spirit into the Lord, failed to such an degree that he afterwards sent to inquire whether He were the one, whom he had preached, whom he had designated as He came.
agebatur itaque baptismus paenitentiae quasi candidatus remissionis et sanctificationis in Christo subsecuturae.
Thus the baptism of repentance was being practiced as it were a candidate for the remission and sanctification that was to follow in Christ.
nam quod praedicabat baptismum paenitentiae in remissionem delictorum, in futuram remissionem enuntiatum est: siquidem paenitentia antecedit, remissio subsequitur, et hoc est uiam praeparare; qui autem praeparat, non idem ipse perficit, sed alii perficiendum procurat.
For as to his preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, this was announced for a future remission: since repentance goes before, remission follows, and this is to prepare the way; but he who prepares does not himself perfect the same, but procures it to be perfected by another.
ipse profitetur sua non esse caelestia, sed Christi, dicendo: qui de terra est, de terra loquitur; qui de supernis uenit, super omnes est: item sola se paenitentia tinguere, uenturum mox qui tingueret in spiritu et igni.
He himself confesses that his own things are not heavenly, but Christ's, by saying: "He who is of the earth speaks of the earth; He who comes from above is above all." Likewise, that he washes only in repentance, but one would soon come who would wash in Spirit and fire.
scilicet quia uera et stabilis fides aqua tinguitur in salutem, simulata autem et infirma igni tinguitur in iudicium.
Clearly because true and stable faith is washed with water unto salvation, but simulated and weak faith is washed with fire unto judgment.