9. You know that in
ordinary parlance we often say, when Easter is approaching, "Tomorrow or
the day after is the Lord's Passion," although He suffered so many years
ago, and His passion was endured once for all time. In like manner, on Easter Sunday,
we say, "This day the Lord rose from the dead," although so many
years have passed since His resurrection. But no one is so foolish as to accuse
us of falsehood when we use these phrases, for this reason, that we give such
names to these days on the ground of a likeness between them and the days on
which the events referred to actually transpired, the day being called the day
of that event, although it is not the very day on which the event took place,
but one corresponding to it by the revolution of the same time of the year, and
the event itself being said to take place on that day, because, although it
really took place long before, it is on that day sacramentally celebrated. Was
not Christ once for all offered up in His own person as a sacrifice? and yet,
is He not likewise offered up in the sacrament as a sacrifice, not only in the
special solemnities of Easter, but also daily among our congregations; so that
the man who, being questioned, answers that He is offered as a sacrifice in
that ordinance, declares what is strictly true? For if sacraments had not some
points of real resemblance to the things of which they are the sacraments, they
would not be sacraments at all. In most cases, moreover, they do in virtue of
this likeness bear the names of the realities which they resemble. As,
therefore, in a certain manner the sacrament of Christ's body is Christ's body,
and the sacrament of Christ's blood is Christ's blood,1 in the same manner the
sacrament of faith is faith. Now believing is nothing else than having faith;
and accordingly, when, on behalf of an infant as yet incapable of exercising
faith, the answer is given that he believes, this answer means that he has
faith because of the sacrament of faith, and in like manner the answer is made
that he turns himself to God because of the sacrament of conversion, since the
answer itself belongs to the celebration of the sacrament. Thus the apostle
says, in regard to this sacrament of Baptism: "We are buried with Christ
by baptism into death." He does not say, "We have signified our being
buried with Him," but "We have been buried with Him." He has
therefore given to the sacrament pertaining to so great a transaction no other
name than the word describing the transaction itself.
10. Therefore an
infant, although he is not yet a believer in the sense of having that faith
which includes the consenting will of those who exercise it, nevertheless
becomes a believer through the sacrament of that faith. For as it is answered
that he believes, so also he is called a believer, not because he assents to
the truth by an act of his own judgment, but because he receives the sacrament
of that truth. When, however, he begins to have the discretion of manhood, he
will not repeat the sacrament, but understand its meaning, and become conformed
to the truth which it contains, with his will also consenting. During the time
in which he is by reason of youth unable to do this, the sacrament will avail
for his protection against adverse powers, and will avail so much on his
behalf, that if before he arrives at the use of reason he depart from this
life, he is delivered by Christian help, namely, by the love of the Church
commending him through this sacrament unto God, from that condemnation which by
one man entered into the world. He who does not believe this, and thinks that
it is impossible, is assuredly an unbeliever, although he may have received the
sacrament of faith; and far before him in merit is the infant which, though not
yet possessing a faith helped by the understanding, is not obstructing faith by
any antagonism of the understanding, and therefore receives with profit the
sacrament of faith. (Augustine, Letter 98.9-10, 408 A.D. [NPNF1
1:409-10])
