The Buckler of the Faith, Part 2 · Article 35 · Subpart 17
Of the necessitie of Baptisme in little children.
Sect. 19 Touching baptisme of little children, the discord is greater.Lombard. 4. Sententiarum Dist 4. lit. E. Si absque baptismo fuerint defuncti, etiam cum deferentur ad baptismum, damnabuntur. Our aduersaries say, that baptisme with water is simply necessarie for them to saluation. And proceed so farre therein, that Lombardus saith, That if any infant which is brought to the Church to be baptized, dieth by the way, it shall be damned. This they affirme by words, but denie it in effect. For they are of opinion, that martyrdome supplyeth the default of baptisme with water, and that a child which is not baptized with water, entreth into the kingdome of God by martyrdome. And to proue it they alledge the little children that were slaine by Herod in Bethleem and there abouts as soone as they were borne, & all those that were two yeares old, whom the Church of Rome doth reuerence for Saints and Martyrs, without any distinction betweene those that were circumcised, and those that were not circumcised.
But seeing that in the Church of Rome the godfather beleeueth for the child which is baptized, and forsaketh the diuell for him, saying, Credo & abrenuntio, I maruell why the same godfather cannot also make a vow for the child, seeing that the Councell of Trent teacheth, that a vow supplyeth the want of baptisme.
It is likewise very requisite to be noted, that our aduersaries are of opinion, that the baptisme which Iesus Christ conferred by the hands of his disciples, Ioh. 4.2. was not necessary to saluation. Bellarmine in the 5. chapter of his first booke of Baptisme, saith,*Baptismus Christi nō fuit neeessarius, necessitate medij aut praecepti, ante Christi mortem. That the Baptisme of Iesus Christ, was neither a necessary meanes, nor a necessary commandement before the death of Iesus Christ. And Pope Leo 1. in the 4. Epistle to the Bishops of Sicilie 3. chapter, saith,**Christum regenerationis gratiā ex sua resurrectione coepisse. That Iesus Christ from his resurrection began the gift of regeneration. For so he calleth the grace of God giuen in Baptisme. But there is no apparence that that Baptisme which at this day is conferred by a Pagan, by a Iew, or by a woman should be more necessary, and of more efficacie then that which was administred by Iesus Christ and by his Apostles. It is to no purpose to say, that circumcision did then supply that which wanted in the baptisme which Iesus Christ conferred. For the Church of Rome is of opinion, that circumcision*Ex opere operato. by vertue of the action did not conferre iustifying grace. And Pope Innocent the 3. saith,**Extra. de Baptismo & eius effectis, Tit. 42. cap. Maiores. Per circumcisionis mysterium & damnationis periculum vitabatur, non tamen peruenichatur ad regnum coelorum. Gerson tom. 3. Serm. de Natiuitate virginis. Consider. 2. Constat Deum misericordiam saluationis suae non ita legibus communibus traditionis Christianae, nō ita sacramentis ipsis alligasse, quin absque praeiudicio legis eiusdem possit pueros nondum natos extra vterum, intus sanctificare gratiae suae baptismo. That by circumcision a man doth not attaine to the kingdome of heauen. Then it could not supply those wants which they say were in the baptisme of Christ, seeing that those to whom it was conferred were also circumcised.
Many Doctors of the Church of Rome, being confuted by the force of truth, beleeued that children might be saued without baptisme with water. That is the opinion of Gerson Chancelor of the Vniuersitie of Paris, in his Sermon of the Natiuitie of the virgine Marie; and of Gabriel Biel vponupon the 4. booke of Sentences, Dist. 4. quest. 2. and of Lombardus maister of Sentences, that maintaineth the necessitie of Baptisme, and neuerthelesse (constrained by force of the truth) in the 4. Distinstion, in the letter E. saith.***Deus suam potentiam sacramentis non alligauit. Quod verò inuisibilis sanctificatio sine visibili sacramento quibusdam insit, apertè Augustinus tradit super Leuiticū, dicens, Inuisibilem sanctificationem quibusdam profuisse sine visibilibus sacramentis. That it is certaine that God hath not tyed his power to the Sacraments, and that S. Augustine vponupon Leuiticus plainly saith, that some hauehave inuisible sanctification without the visible Sacrament.
Howbeit, our aduersaries had rather contradict themselues then agree with vsus, and with the truth. And to that end build an imaginary lodging for little children that die without Baptisme, which they call the Limbus of little children, forged by mens braines without the word of God: where they say those poore children lie in eternall darknes, in a hole or caue vnderunder the earth, depriued of Gods sight, and of eternall saluation, without dolour and torment, and by consequence without griefe; for perpetuall griefe and sorrow for the losse of our soueraigne good, is a perpetuall torment: and if without griefe to be excluded from the presence of God, then also without knowledge of God, and without the louelove of God, which is the greatest euill that can be in a reasonable creature.
This Limbus is a field fit to exercise the subtilty of these Doctors, and a subiect to be disputed of when men are fasting, to know what the soules of those little children do in that prison vnderunder ground, seeing that there they hauehave no communication with God, nor with the Saints in Paradise, nor any remembrance of those things which they saw and heard vponupon earth, because there they neither saw nor heard any thing. As also whether those children shall rise againe at the latter day, whether they shall appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ: what sentence the Iudge will giuegive; and how they can heare or comprehend that sentence. Whether they shall remaine still in that caue vnderunder the ground then when the earth shall be no more, or whether the Pope hath appointed them any other lodging. To what end their eyes and their eares shall serue them in that Limbus after the resurrection: Whether the Pope can draw them from thence by Indulgences, as well as Pope Gregorie 1. drew the Emperour Traians (a Pagans) soule out of hell, if we beleeue our aduersaries. When that horrible custome began which is vsed in the Hospitall of Paris, where they throw little children (that are dead without Baptisme) into a deepe well, as vnworthy of any buriall. And lastly, whether that any one euer came from that Limbus to bring them that newes, seeing that God neuer shewed vsus of any such thing.