onal salvation? It was
the orthodox belief that Christ led up into Paradise with him the
ancient saints who were awaiting his appearance in the under
world:12 but with this exception it was not supposed that he saved
any outright: he only put it in their power to save themselves,
removing the previously insuperable obstacles. In the faith of
those who accepted the dogma of predestination, of course, the
presupposed condition of actual personal salvation was that the
given individual should become one of the elect number. But it
seems to have been usually believed that baptism was indispensable
to give final efficacy to the decree of election in each
individual case.13 Augustine says, "All are born under the power
of the devil, held in chains by him as a jailer: baptism alone,
through the force of Christ's redemptive work, breaks these chains
and secures heaven." In regard to this necessity of baptism
Pelagius agreed with his great adversary, saving an unessential
modification, as we have seen before. The same may be said of
Cyprian, Tertullian, and many other leading Fathers. Again, the so
called Athanasian Creed, which shows the prevalent opinion of the
Church in the fifth and sixth centuries, asserts that whoso
believes not in the Trinity and kindred dogmas as therein laid
down "without doubt shall perish everlastingly." In other words,
assent of mind to the established creed of the Church is a vital
condition of salvation. Finally, in the writings of nearly all of
the Fathers we find frequent declarations of the necessity of
moral virtue, righteous conduct, and piety, as a condition of
admission into the kingdom of heaven. For example, Augustine says,
"Such as have been baptized, partaken of the sacraments, and
remained always in the catholic faith, but have led wicked lives,
can have no hope of escaping eternal damnation." 14 These points
were not sharply defined, authoritatively established, and
consistently adhered to; and yet there was a pretty general
agreement among the body of the Fathers that for actual salvation
there were three practical necessary conditions, baptism, a sound
faith, a good life.

9 De Anima, sects. 7 et 55.

10 Epist. CLXIV.

11 Huidekoper, Belief of the First Three Centuries concerning
Christ's Mission to the Under World.

12 Augustine, De Civ. Del. lib. xx. cap. xv. Wiedenfeld, De
Exorcismi Origine, Mutatione, deque hujus Actus peragendi Ratione
Neander, Church History, vol. i. p.