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IF you were an assertor of the Arian or Sabellian heresy, and did not
use your own creed, I would still confute you by the authority of the holy
Scriptures; I would confute you by the words of the law itself; I would
refute you by the truth of the Creed which has been approved throughout the
whole world. I would say that, even if you were void of sense and
understanding, yet still you ought at least to follow universal consent:
and not to make more of the perverse view of a few wicked men than of the
faith of all the Churches: which as it was established by Christ, and
handed down by the apostles ought to be regarded as nothing but the voice
of the authority of God, which is certainly in possession of the voice and
mind of God. And what then if I were to deal with you in this way? What
would you say? What would you answer? Would it not, I adjure you, be this:
viz., that you had not been trained up and taught in this way: that
something different had been delivered to you by your parents, and masters,
and teachers. That you did not hear this in the meeting place of your
father's teaching, nor in the Church of your Baptism: finally that the text
and words of the Creed delivered and taught to you contained something
different. That in it you were baptized and regenerated. You would say that
you would hold fast this which you had received, and that you would live in
that Creed in which you learnt that you were regenerated. When you said
this, would you not, I pray, fancy that you were using a very strong shield
even against the truth? And indeed it would be no unreasonable defence,
even in a bad business, and one which would give no bad excuse for error,
if it did not unite obstinacy with error. For if you held this, which you
had received from your childhood, we should try to amend and correct your
present error, rather than be severe in punishing your past fault: Whereas
now, as you were born in a Catholic city, instructed in the Catholic faith,
and regenerated with Catholic Baptism, how can I deal with you as with an
Arian or Sabellian? Would that you were one! I should grieve less had you
been brought up in what was wrong, instead of having fallen away from what
was right: had you never received the faith, instead of having lost it: had
you been an old heretic instead of a fresh apostate, for you would have
brought less scandal and harm on the whole Church; finally it would have
been a less bitter sorrow, and less injurious example had you been able to
try the Church as a layman rather than a priest. Therefore, as I said
above, if you had been a follower and assertor of Sabellianism or Arianism
or any heresy you please, you might shelter yourself under the example of
your parents, the teaching of your instructors, the company of those about
you, the faith of your creed. I ask, O you heretic, nothing unfair, and
nothing hard. As you have been brought up in the Catholic faith, do that
which you would do for a wrong belief. Hold fast to the teaching of your
parents. Hold fast the faith of the Church: hold fast the truth of the
Creed: hold fast the salvation of baptism. What sort of a wonder--what sort
of a monster are you? You will not do for yourself what others have done
for their errors. But we have launched out far enough: and out of love for
a city that is connected with us, have yielded to our grief as to a
strong wind, and while we were anxious to make way, have overshot the mark
of our proper course.
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