|
For whatever unbaptized persons die confessing Christ, this
confession is of the same efficacy for the remission of sins as if they
were washed in the sacred font of baptism. For He who said,
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God," made also an exception in their favor, in
that other sentence where He no less absolutely said, "Whosoever
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven;" and in another place, "Whosoever will lose his
life for my sake, shall find it." And this explains the verse,
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."
For what is more precious than a death by which a man's sins are all
forgiven, and his merits increased an hundredfold? For those who have
been baptized when they could no longer escape death, and have departed
this life with all their sins blotted out have not equal merit with
those who did not defer death, though it was in their power to do so,
but preferred to end their life by confessing Christ, rather than by
denying Him to secure an opportunity of baptism. And even had they
denied Him under pressure of the fear of death, this too would have
been forgiven them in that baptism, in which was remitted even the
enormous wickedness of those who had slain Christ. But how abundant
in these men must have been the grace of the Spirit, who breathes
where He listeth, seeing that they so dearly loved Christ as to be
unable to deny Him even in so sore an emergency, and with so sure a
hope of pardon! Precious, therefore, is the death of the saints, to
whom the grace of Christ has been applied with such gracious effects,
that they do not hesitate to meet death themselves, if so be they might
meet Him. And precious is it, also, because it has proved that what
was originally ordained for the punishment of the sinner, has been used
for the production of a richer harvest of righteousness. But not on
this account should we look upon death as a good thing, for it is
diverted to such useful purposes, not by any virtue of its own, but by
the divine interference. Death was originally proposed as an object of
dread, that sin might not be committed; now it must be undergone that
sin may not be committed, or, if committed, be remitted, and the
award of righteousness bestowed on him whose victory has earned it.
|
|