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Les diagrammes suivants iiiustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHAPT (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m ISJUb 2.8 3.2 14.0 1.4 2.5 2.0 1.8 1.6 A -APPLIED IIVMGE Inc ™^ 1653 East Main Street r%S: Rochester, New York 14609 USA ^^" \r !C/' -so..: - \jj\j'^ rnone (716) 288- 5989 -Fax Is Infant Baptism oi Divine Origin? A paper read before the District meeting of Guysboro East, Antigonish and Port Hawkesbury, by Rev. F. H. Beals, and published by request of the body. Is infant baptism of Divine origin? This question demands an answer from all who desire the extension of the Redeemer's King;dom by the unity of believers. A large number of good, intelligent people claim that the rite is of God. Others, equally good and intelligent, deny its Divine origin ; while a still more numerous class are in doubt. Three considerations are here presented, which, in the writer's judgment, conclusively prove that it is not of God. I. INFANT BAPTISM IS UNSCRIPTURAI,. Surely if God had instituted the rite, some instruction would have been given in the Bible respecting mode, time of administration, signification, etc., but none is to be found. Not only is there nothing positive in the Word of God concerning the practice, but there is nothing which even remotely hints at it. The Roman Catholic can get over this difficulty by claiming for tradition equal authority with the Bible, or that the church has power to make rules for herself, independently of the Bible. But how do its advocates, who accept the Word of God as the only rule of faith and practice, meet this consideration ? Some do not attempt an answer, but have their children christened because it is the custom. Others ignorantly, or unthinkingly, allow it at the urgent request of the 7 minister, who is tempted, often against his own better judgment, to perform the ceremony, for sectarian pur- poses. While still others cite passages of Scripture in support of the practice which do not have the slightest allusion to it. Examine, unbiased, the texts usually quoted in support of infant baptism, and see how far- fetched, fanciful, not to say, disingenuous, the interpre- tation in every case is. The gracious words of the Master •'Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me ; for of such is the kin^^dom of heaven," (Mark lo : 14-15) are quoted, but it is known that Jesus did not baptize the children ; for it is distinctly stated that - he laid his hands on them," and besides he never, by his own hand, baptized anybody (John 4: 2). The case of the baptism of the jailer's household (Acts 16 : 33-34) is cited, but unwarrantably so, for the context says ''he rejoiced, believing in God with all his house." When the children of a household are old enough to rejoice, believing, no one will refuse them baptism. I^ydia's household (Acts 16 : 15) is given as another case of infant baptism, wHv^n it is not even known that she was ever married. Peter, in Acts 2 : 38-39, is made to teach the practice when he says, - the promise is unto you and to your children." This eminent servant of God has been credited with many unlikely things, but this surely is the most unlikely, for the simple reason that the Greek word here translated - children," means - descendants," with- out any reference to age. A penitent descendant cannot possibly be an infant. The passages quoted to show that infant baptism takes the place of circumcision, or that the children of belivers are in the covenant- and «o are a better ian pur- )ture in slightest usually ow far- nterpre- Master, come • (Mark did not at ''Ije by his case of )-34) is s "he When 'ejoice, [^ydia's • infant s ever ch the and to 3 been ^ is the Is word ' with- :annot w that r that so are 3 fit subjects for baptism, are in like manner, irrelevant If only one text could be found in the Bible clearly sup* porting the practice, its claims to Divine origin might be admitted. But there is none ; positively none. II. INFANT BAPTISM IS UNREASONABI.K. In order to claim Divine origin for a teaching it must be founded upon reason. It is the boast of the gospel that It appeals not only to the affections and will but to the reason as well. The unreasonableness of infant baptism will appear the more it is studied. The application of water to the forehead of a child accompanied with other incidentals, in the giving of a Dame, is not, in itself, unreasonable. But when this ceremony is substituted for Christian baptism, its folly IS app rent. Nothing but the blinding tendency of custom and prejudice could make sensible people agree to the substitution. * Again, many believe that this ceremony, which is substituted for Christian baptism, makes the subject a child of God. The Roman Catholics teach that ' ' baptism is a sacrament which cleanses from original sin, makes us Christians and children of God, and heirs to the king- dom of God, (Catechism). The Episcopalian child is taught to believe that he is "by baptism regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ's church." (Prayer Book) But what reasoning man believes these assumotions '? Every community has its quota of boys who are untruth^ ful. profane or impure. But a large proportion of these boys have been made children of God by baptism in their infancy, if we accept this teaching. But we dn «..f o.^o^^t It. It !s not claimed that the unbaptized children Ire any better, but it is insistFcl upon that they are no worse. T e assumption that these boys, yea, and men too, who serve the world, the flesh, and the devil, are children of God, is so unreasonable as to be positively silly. In a similar way we are expected to believe that a large pro- portion of the drunkards and inmates of our prisons are children of God, for have they not been baptized ? But many who practice infant baptism, recoiling from such absurd conclusions, object that they do not believe in baptismal regeneration. Thank God for that ! Still the consideration of unreasonableness holds. Indeed there would seem to be less reason for the substitution of the ceremony for the ordinance of Christ in the case of those who do not attribute saving efficacy to it, than in the case of those who do. III. INFANT BAPTISM IS PRODUCTIVE OF EVII, RESULTS. " Prove all things : hold fast that which is good " is a safe test in matters of this kind. When weighed in this balance, infant baptism is found wanting. What are some of its evil tendencies? First. It creates and fosters false hopes of salvation. It is guilty before G.^ I of more perversion of the Saviour's teaching respecting the new birth than all other agencies combined. The Literary Digest of August 7, 1897, reports that Rev. G. Lee contributed an article to a United States Magazine in which he said: "Annually 700,000 American children die, of whom less than one third, or almost 200,000, are baptized. Our concern is with the remaining half million, who annually die un- regenerated by the saving water of baptism. Religion teaches that the difference bttween going away hnplized and going away utihaptized is just the difference between poss'ssing and not possessing the 1 eatific vi«.iou of God in heaven for all eternity." Proceeding he says: "The crime of leaving nnregenerated children in the londsof vsin will he attributed to those who were unwilling to bapti/e them. . . In everything else she (the church) vindicates for her ordained ministers the exercise of the ministry ; but in this she insists that every hunian bting may and ought to do the sacred work. She takts the trouble to define and teach thai man or w( jnan, heretic or pa>ian, everybody without exception is ablt- and is to be induced to baptize the dying." If this kind (.f belief were coufin^'d to one denomination the tendency would not be so harmful, but experience teaches that saving efficacy, of one degree or another, is attributed to the ceremony, especially in the case of the ignorant of all (ienominations that practice it This is shown by the fact that mothers will have the rite administered to infants a few hours old, if thev are not likely to live, and by the fact that, if the child of a neighbor happen to die unbaptized, there is the mournful shake of the head and the significant, " It could have done no harm anyway." In view of the insinuating nature of this heresy it is no wonder that two prominent pastors, membe of the N. S. Methodist Conference of 1898. found it necevssary to warn the body against the possible evil tendencies of the practice, stating "that many parents who briirg their children for baptism cherish the belief that the regener- ation Oi vile Cniiv^ &Uu. its litncss for heaven are dependent upon its baptism." Secondly. Infant baptism tends to prevent the moral sense bv fostering a policy of (om promise with conscience in the matter of obedience to Christ. Ask one who has been sprinkled in infancy if he has obeyed the command, •• Be baptized," and he will say " Yes." Ask him how,' or when, he obeyed that command and he will say, •• My parents, I am told, performed the ceremony when I was an infant." Press him still farther and he will admit that his obedience was forced, that is, it was not obedience at all. Think of the evil efiect upon the moral nature, when such a compromise is made with conscience respecting obedience to an ordinance of Christ ! Third. Infant Baptism tends to support the papal sys- tem. We have no unkind word to say concerning the men and women who compose the Roman Catholic denomination, many of whom are excellent citizens, but the system itself is contrary to the genius of the gospel and, therefore, to be condemned. Their claim of papal infallibility is inimical to the two principles so prominent in the Anglo-Saxon constitution, namely, liberty of con- science, and the right of private judgment. Their veneration of the Virgin Mary is indirectly, if not direct- ly, idolatrous. Their belief that the body and blood of Christ are actually present in the elements of the Supper is grotesquely absurd. In a recent pubhcation one of the clearest thinkers of the century argues that pedobaptism made the papacy possible. He says : ''The church, in order to be thoroughly secularized, must be operated upon by a secularizing force supplied from within itself, and working within itself. Such a secularizing force is furnished in infant baptism, and could not be furnished lie moral oiivscience who has ommcifld, him how, ay, •* My leu I was dmit that dience at ire, when specting ipal sys- ning the Catholic eus, but i gospel of papal ominent ' of con- Their )t direct- blood of i Supper le of the •baptism irch, in operated in itself, force is irnished in ai;ything else than infant baptisn*, or something of an equivalent nature *' However this may have been in the rise of the papacy, there is no doubt that the substitution of infant sprinkling for Christian baptism by Protestant denominations in common with Roman Catholics, is doing much to strengthen the papacy and to create in th' le othf»r denominations a like- ness to the papacy. The drift Romeward, so much in evidence in some quarters today, has here its chief underlying cause. Some one has said, "Infant baptism crawled like a lizard from the papal swamp." These figures are not too strong. Would that all who accept the Word of God as the true standard might unite in driving it back to the place of its nativity. Did space permit, the brood of evils springing from this prolific mother might be multiplied almost indefinitely. Dr. Alvah Hovey, late president of Newton Theological Seminary, charges infant baptism with "taking away from the Christian ordinance a large part of its meaning ; " with " ascribing to the ordinance an imaginary virtue ; " with "marring the constitution of the Christian churches ; " with " facilitating the union of Church and State ; " and with " dividing the followers of Christ." But sufficient has been said. Our object is accomplished. We have shown that infant baptism is unscriptural, un- reasonable, and productive of evil results. The con- clusion is inevitable that it is not of God, and, therefore, of man. Jesus said to some of the people of his time, " In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men," (Matt. 15:9). Those who teach or practice infant baptism are chargeable 8 with a similar offense. Some, wbile disbelieving in the teaching, will connect themselves with a church that practices it, thinking to place the responsibility on the minister who performs the ceremony. These should remember that the pastor, in the administration of an ordinance, is simply the hand of the church, and there- fore no more responsible than are the other members. In view of the origin and nature of the practice, the proper attitude for all who desire the unity of believers to assume toward it is suggested by the immortal Watts : " Should all the forms that men devise Assault my faith with treach'rous art, I'd call them vanity and lies, And bind the gospel to my heart." ERRATA. On page 4, line i, for '♦ insistsd " read '' insisted." 6, " I. '« "present"" "pervert*." 7, 22, *' " churches" ** ««rtt,, — 1