23.
Baptism and Communion
22.1. That only the Catholic
Church has baptism for salvation is stated by Zechariah the prophet: “On that
day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zech 13:1). Clearly the
house of David and Jerusalem is the Church of Christ, in which there endures
the fountain for the cleansing of sins. Heretics, however, perform it only by
imaginary show, and therefore baptism is given to them not for the remission of
sins, but as an indication of punishment.
22.2. Recently born infants
suffer pains in hell for original sin alone if they have not been made new
through the washing. Thus for this reason the recently born infant is damned,
if he has not been regenerated, because he has been destroyed by the sin of
origin.
22.3. Why are young children,
lacking original sin through baptism and not yet having their own proper sin,
mangled by beasts and other sufferings? This is the reason: baptism frees one
from eternal suffering, not from the punishment of this present life, because
if human beings were freed from the punishment of the present through baptism,
they might think that this is the reward of baptism rather than that which is
eternal.
Therefore, original sin having
been removed, there nevertheless remains a certain temporal punishment, in
order that that life might be more fervently requested that will be distant
from all punishments.
22.4. Not one of the faithful,
even after the baptism by which sins are removed, denies that we ought to be
converted to God on a daily basis, as long as we are in this world. This is
because, even though this turning to God is done daily without ceasing, it will
not be enough to have been accomplished.
22.5. Those who are in their
mother’s wombs are therefore not able to be baptized with their mother, because
whoever is not yet born according to Adam is not able to be reborn according to
Christ (cf. Rom 6:3–7), and thus it cannot be said that there is regeneration
in the person whose generation has not yet taken place.
22.6. [Concerning those who live
within the Church but not in conformity with the dignity of the Church, who
hold the faith by their words but destroy it by their works, it is read, “They
would be more than can be counted” (Ps 40:5) in order that you might understand
this in the kingdom of the predestined.]
22.7. Those who live wickedly in
the Church and do not cease to receive communion, thinking that they will be
cleansed by this communion, ought to learn that nothing will profit them for
their cleansing, as the prophet says:
“What right has my beloved in my
house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows and sacrificial flesh avert your
doom?” (Jer 11:15). The Apostle also says, “Examine yourselves, and only then
eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor 11:28). (Isidore of Seville, Sententiae
[Ancient Christian Writers 73; trans. Thomas L. Knoebel; New York: The Newman Press,
2018], Book I, Chapter 23)