We were busy in our preceding article with the question relative the importance of membership in the true church, as advocated in the second period of the Church, 300-750 A.D. We noted that it was generally held that membership in this Catholic Church (not to be confused with the Roman Catholic. Church) was strictly necessary unto salvation. And, in connection with this question, we were busy with presenting a few quotations of Augustine which he wrote in his struggle with the Donatists. We will now continue with a few more of his quotations. 

Having called attention in preceding articles to the views of the church father, Tertullian, with respect to the question of infant baptism, we wish to conclude this particular phase of the question of infant baptism by calling attention to the views of Origin and Cyprian, two of the most prominent men among the early church fathers.

Julian’s attempt to destroy Christianity We concluded our preceding article with the remark that we would call attention to Julian’s attempt to destroy Christianity. 

In our preceding article we had begun to call attention to another phase of the doctrine of the Church during the second period, 300-750 A.D., namely the importance of membership in this true church. And we quoted Articles 27 and 28 of our Confession of Faith.

Continuing with the account of Gardiner’s conversion, we quote the following: “When engaged in serious meditation on a Sabbath night in July 1719, Gardiner suddenly thought he saw an unusual blaze of light fall on the book while he was reading, which he at first imagined might have happened by some accident in the candle.

Before continuing with the quotation from Reinhold Seeberg, we wish to call attention to a part of the quotation from his writings which appeared in our preceding article. Writing on the three-day conference which was held at Carthage in June, 411, between the Donatists and the Catholics, he declares: “Both the historical and the doctrinal questions were here discussed. No reader of the proceedings of this assembly can escape the impression that the Donatists here appear in.

Other questions that arose. 

How the position of the Church changed!  Prior to Constantine the Great the “powers that be” were pagan and Christianity was outlawed and the object of relentless persecution. The world-empire during the early centuries of the new dispensation was the Roman empire. It was thoroughly pagan. And it exerted every effort, during these three early centuries of the new dispensation, to destroy the Cause of Christ in the midst of the world. 

We concluded our previous article on a sketch of the life of Augustine with the remark that that Church Father became unwittingly, the founder of the Augustinian order, which gave the reformer, Luther, to the world. We may now continue with this sketch. 

Constantine’s influence upon the Church.