Let’s listen to St. Augustine in the late 300’s or early 400’s.
ST. AUGUSTINE “Sion heard of it, and rejoiced” (verse 8). What did Sion hear? That all His Angels worship Him. . . . For the Church was not as yet among the Gentiles; in Judaea the Jews had some of them believed, and the very Jews who believed thought that they only belonged to Christ: the Apostles were sent to the Gentiles, Cornelius was preached to; Cornelius believed, was baptized, and they who were with Cornelius were also baptized.(3) But ye know what happened, that they might be baptized: the reader indeed hath not reached this point, but, nevertheless, some recollect; and let those who do not recollect, hear briefly from me.
The Angel was sent to Cornelius: the Angel sent Cornelius to Peter; Peter came to Cornelius. And because Cornelius and his household were Gentiles, and uncircumcised: lest they might hesitate to give the Gospel to the uncircumcised: before Cornelius and his household were baptized, the Holy Spirit came, and filled them, and they began to speak with tongues. Now the Holy Spirit had not fallen upon any one who had not been baptized: but upon these it fell before baptism. For Peter might hesitate whether he might baptize the uncircumcised: the Holy Spirit came, they began to speak with tongues; the invisible gift was given, and
took away all doubt about the visible Sacrament; they were all baptized.
-- From St. Augustine on the Psalms - PSALM XCVII – Section 11
Also
here is Pope St. Gregory the Great from the 500’s A.D. on Acts 10.
POPE ST. GREGORY THE GREAT For certainly Peter had received power in the heavenly kingdom, so that whatever he should bind or loose on earth should be bound or loosed in heaven; he walked on the sea, he healed the sick with his shadow, be slew sinners with his word, he raised the dead by his prayer. And because by the admonition of the Spirit he had gone in to Cornelius the Gentile, a question was raised against him by the believers as to why he had gone in among Gentiles and eaten with them, and why he had received them in baptism.
And yet this first of the apostles, filled with such gifts of grace, supported by such power of miracles, replied to the complaint of the believers, not by power but by reason, and explained . . . . how three men came to him calling him to Cornelius; how the Holy Spirit bade him go with them;
how the same Holy Spirit who had been wont to come on those baptized in Judea after baptism, came on the Gentiles before baptism. For if, when he was blamed by the believers, he had paid regard to the authority which he had received in Holy Church, he might have replied that the sheep should not dare to find fault with the shepherd to whom they had been committed. But, had he said anything of his own power in answer to the complaint of the believers, he would not have been truly a teacher of gentleness. He pacified them, therefore, by giving a reason humbly, and even produced witnesses to defend him from blame, saying, Moreover these six brethren accompanied me (Acts xi. 12).
-- The Great Epistles Book XI. EPISTLE XLV: TO THEOCTISTA, PATRICIAN
Again St. Augustine this time from his letter against the Donatist heretics BOOK IV, Chapter 1 (De Bartismo contra Donatistas).
Remember the Lord brought all the Donatist heretics BACK to the Church through St. Augustine! There is NO Donatist heresy (proper) since St. Augustine!
Incidentally, this was shown nicely in the recent movie Restless Heart—The Confessions of St. Augustine (at least in the longer version—they include both versions—view free trailer
here, movie
here) along with a brief into to St. Ambrose who himself was used to convert St. Augustine to the Catholic faith.
St. Augustine also talks of this and Baptism in the following (I added the “Magus” for clarity) . . .
ST. AUGUSTINE With regard to the objection brought against Cyprian, that the catechumens who were seized in martyrdom, and slain for Christ’s name’s sake, received a crown even without baptism, I do not quite see what it has to do with the matter, unless, indeed, they urged that heretics could much more be admitted with
baptism to Christ’s kingdom, to which catechumens were admitted without it,
since He Himself has said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (1) Now, in this matter I do not hesitate for a moment to place the Catholic catechumen, who is burning with love for God, before the baptized heretic; nor yet do we thereby do dishonor to the sacrament of baptism which the latter has already received, the former not as yet; nor do we consider that the sacrament of the catechumen (2) is to be preferred to the sacrament of baptism, when we acknowledge that some catechumens are better and more faithful than some baptized persons. For the centurion Cornelius, before baptism, was better than Simon (Magus), who had been baptized. For Cornelius, even before his baptism, was filled with the Holy Spirit;(3) Simon (Magus), even after baptism, was puffed up with an unclean spirit.(4) Cornelius, however, would have been convicted of contempt for so holy a sacrament, if, even after he had received the Holy Ghost, he had refused to be baptized. But when he was baptized, he received in no wise a better sacrament than Simon (Magus) . . . .
— St. Augustine: The Writings Against the Manichaeans and Against the Donatists.
St. Augustine pray for us.
