208 THE SEVENTH COUNCIL OF CARTHAGE. thatwash them. For ifthosewho are baptizedamong them obtainby remissionof theirsinslifeeternal,why do they come to the church? But iffrom a dead person no salva tionisreceived,and therefore,acknowledging theirprevious error,they return to the truthwith penitence,they ought to be sanctifiedwiththeone vitalbaptismwhich isintheCatholic Church. Castus of Sicca1said: He who with contempt of the truth presumes tofollowcustom,iseitherenviousand malignantin respectof his brethrento whom the truth is revealed,or is ungratefulinrespectof God, by whose inspirationHis church isinstructed. Euchratius of Thence2 said: God and our Lord Jesus Christ,teaching the apostleswith His own mouth, has en tirelycompletedour faith,and the graceof baptism,and the ruleof the ecclesiasticallaw,saying: " Go ye and teachall nations,baptizingthem in the name of the Father,and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."3 Thus the falseand wicked baptismof hereticsmust be rejectedby us,and re futed with alldetestation,from whose mouth is expressed poison,not life,not celestialgrace,but blasphemy of the Trinity.4 And thereforeit is manifest that hereticswho come to the church ought to be baptizedwith the sound and catholicbaptism,in orderthat,being purifiedfrom the blas phemy of theirpresumption,they may be reformed by the graceof the Holy Spirit. Libosus of Vaga 5 said: In the Gospel the Lord says," I am the truth."6 He said not,"I am the custom." There fore the truthbeing manifest,letcustom yieldto truth; so that,althoughfor the past any one was not in the habitof baptizinghereticsin the church,lethim now begintobaptize them. Lucius of Thebeste7 said: I determine that blasphemous 1 SiccaVeneris,a cityofZeugitana.sA cityofByzacena. 8Matt.xxviii.18. 4 " Letthereaderobservehere,aselsewhere,thattheword 'Trinity' issimplyusedforthepersonsoftheGodhead" (Oxfordedit.). 5A cityofNumidia. 6Johnxiv.6. 7A cityofNumidia.