, 1874-06-06

standard of truth. The fundamental truths of
the Christian Doctrine, taken from the Sacred
Scriptures are delivered in that Confession,
and this is and remains the confession Of
faith of the Brethren's Church. It is hardly
necessary for me to tell "a MoraVian" that
Infant Baptism is one Of the tWenty-ono arti-
cles of which this Confession is composed and
less necessary is it for me to add what the
pedo-baptiSt views of the administration of this
Sacrament are, for these must be, (f l do not
entirely mistake the Brethren's teaohings) pre-
clsely the same.
Quoting then, the practice Of the Bapti8ts
in refusing baptism to infants altogether, in
support of asimilar yet more inconsistent in
%novation in Christian Orthodoxy, as "a Mora.
Wan" did at the start, portrays an inconsistency
which is wholly inexcusable in any one pro-
Tossing to maintain the wholesome views of the
Moravian Church, unless he were on the eve
of inolining to the sectarianism Of his @favourito
authority.
But it is simply to correct zone or two mis-
takes 10 my article" that your correspondent
has again appeared in your columns. l would
certainly never have rejoined, we're it not SO
evidently manifest in the reply Of "a Mora
Ylan," that a resort to palIiatiyes is the en-
trenchment from behind which he will defend
this rather uutenable point but this very act,
IL VIII DC SUCH uaS tQEUWu ulL4 Ou Tue us u
a dilemma.
Summing up the train Of argument pursued by
"a Moraviln," | have deducod the following
points as embracing the "one or two mistakes"
in my communication /, The Withholding Of
baptism from ilIegitimate infants being a new
notion of the BrethEen's Church. 2, A mis-
taken view Of Bishop Spangeuberg's "Ezposi~
ton Of Christian Doctrine, as taught by the
Brethren. 3. The Withholding Of baptism
from illegitjmate infants only felt by the pa
rents, inforring thereby taat the innocent chill
dren are not punished.
On the first point, it must be evident to an
impartial thinker, that the practice alluded to,
viz, that Of withholding baptism from unlaw-
full infants, could only have been introduced in
to the Brethren's Church as a matter of church
discipline, peculiar to her, and never was in
tended as a dogma to be promulgated. | have
searched the aid "Expositiou" very carefully,
but have not found the simplest a!lusion made
in it to support the rotion as an article Of faith.
On the contrary it every whore fully supports
the wholesome idea Chat children are holy if
either the father or mother 10ere believers -
And, surely, "A Morayian" will not gain5ay
the fact, that although a mother may fall into
sin and boget illegitimate children she is yet a
believer Yes, she is the one sheep Of The
fold which deserves the particular seeking Of
the shepherd, II even she StfayS 10 the utmost
length. Had this not been simply discipline
of the church, bat an article Of faith, the
falling off from it in 1888 or at any previous or
subsequent period, would have fully established
the instability of the Brothrou's teaching, and,
consequently, the danger Of any one adhering
to them, for fear Of, at least, periodical schisms.
I am, however, at a loss to understand how the
congregations of The Brethren could have -four
ishod in til Sc missions which form the only
exception, to the general observance Of the
rule in question, for 50 many years before 1888,
upon the ground of rejecting all the illegitlmate
children, when it is a notorious fact, that among
that particular portion Of the population to
whom their mission was directed-tho negro
Understandings was even legally forbidden
and that since the r~esuming of the old PRACTICE
in 1853, there has been SO large a fall
ling off of their church members as 1929 IN ten
years-say from 1861 to 1871
On the 2ud point, l must return thanks 70
"a Moraviau'' for enlightening me on a sub
iect of which I had not the slightest idea before,
viz that the antiquity Of an authority, partieu-
larly in matters Of faith and doctrine dctracts
from it's validity and Importance. This is
plainly supported by the remark, "Further
the Exposition of Christian Doctrine
from which Verify quotes, WAS written
about ono hundred years ago, and ex-
nresseS the views Of our brethren IN the home