The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-12-21
INFANT BAPTISM.
Bishop Kahn in Reply TO Rev. Mr..
MOfat.


Editor OF the Register.
The history of the Council of Trent
and its official acts testify that the Coun-
Gil discussed the Reformers' teaching that
"Hell is the appointed punishment of
original SIM" Rev. Mr.. Motst admits
that they so taught, and that this is still
the belief of the Reformed, and perhaps
of the Lutheran Church; but he denies
that children stained with original sin
"are doomed to the torments OF the
damned" 1t requires q rather meta
physical turn OF mind to perceive
the distinction between the two
propositions Hell is strictly their
due" and they are doomed to
hell" Rev Mr.. Motist scknow edges,
therefore, that my statement OF last Sun
day was correct, viz that the Council
debated the above proposition, and that
the proposition was aud Is still main.
tsined by Protestants. He no doubt sees
clearly that the doctrine contained in the
proposition stated plainly, not roughly,
by Wall, follows necessarily from the sc-
cepted Protestant notion OF original JUS.
tlce and original sin. That the Retormers
did not give great promln ence to this
deduction from their principles, is reason
enough why, with so many openly pro-
tessed and bsneiul heresies to combat, the
Fathers of the Council took no final
action on that particular question.
Now Rev. Mr. Motat passes to another
view OF the subject. Infants deser0e hell
Catholic theologians deny i;-but hey
don't receive their deserts dy1ng infants
are Sared. BY salvation Is meant the
beatifc vision of God in Heaven. DID
Calvin so tesch2 Does the Presbyterian
Church so teach in its authorized confess
sion of faith? lfso, | confess my lgnor-
ance of any such publicly sanctioned
theories. From the "Conlession OF
Faith" Ten. VI, Nos, 2, 8, and 3, and
ch. x, Nos 3 and ~ am l not justified
IN reasoning thus?
Two Pagan brothers have each a
child which dies in infancy.
The first brother, who has never
heard Of Christ and is therefore
incapable of being called out'Oardty by the
ministry Of tie Word, is u Presbyterian
elect; consequently he is saved, and also
his child The other, because he is not
Presbyterian. elect cannot be saved
neither can his child although he has
been nsrer so diLigent IN framing his life
according 10 the hght Of nature; and to
assert and maintain that he may, is cery
pe7niciol4S and to be deteSted. The words
in Italics are the words of the Comics
sion OF Faith.
But if the children of the elect, be-
cause included in the covenant, are priv
ileged above the children OF the nom
elect land if the Confession means any
thing, 1t means that they sre), in
what, pray, does the priv
ilege consist, il the children
of the non-eect are also regenerated in
Christ and saved2 Does not the promise
made to the frst-class, imply that the
second class are excluded from sslvstion2
But exclusion from salvation, in Protest
ant theology, is equivalent to damna-
ton. Il not the theory of Mr.. MOtfst-
he tells us the same is the theory OF ali
Protestant churches now-in evident
contradiction to the views OF the early
reformers, and to the most solemn, pub
lie professions of even the Presbyterian
church,
But acknowledging that l sec no
practical good likely to result from the
newspaper dsputation, and thanking
Rev. Mr.. Moffatt for his courteous treat
ment of the question, and you Mr..
Editor, for your kind service, l now
drop the subject. John j. KAN,
Bishop Of Wheeling.
Wheeting Dec. 20 1877.