The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-29
THE INFANT QUESTION.
A Young Divine, q Native OF
Wheeling, Now In the EaAt,
Tries HIS Hand.

il "neeIlu8B NOW IN inc Etl1l1
Tries His Hand.
Editors Intslllgencor.
In the 1NTELLI6ENcER OF the 18th inst,
/ notice u letter from the Rev. ]. D..
Moffat in which it IL implied, II NOT di.
rectly stated, that the doctrine Of the
damnation Of infants was never explicit.
ly taught by the Protestant Fathers. Il
seems to me that q little research on his
part would show him that some writer's
Of the 18th and 18th and even 10Th centu.
ries did declare the tenet, and declared It
as logical consequence Of their theolog-
ical systems. As his letter was one Of
inquiry, l would present the following
quotations from the works Of theolog.
iRns:
DIR. Guiss, Prolocutor Of the Westmiu.
lister Assembly Of divines, which composed
the Westminster confession Of faith, says j:
"In regard to those who are condemned
to eternal death solely on account OF ORR
ginal sin, their condemnation TO eternal
death is the consequence of Adams
transgression alone. But many infants
depart this life in original sin, and conse-
quently are condemned to eternal death
on account of original ain alone: there.
fore the condemnation Of many infants 10
eternal death Ia the consequence of Adams
trGnsgreSsion solely. [Guissi Vindiciae
Gratiae Potestatis ct Providentiae Del.
Edit. Second. A to Amsl. 10 81 Lib /,
p. 4s.
DR.. Gill, an eminent Baptist divine, OF
this century saye: "0thers are OF opinion
that such as die without actual sin, and
are guilty Of original sin, RhAll only suffer
the former the punishment Of loss but
not the latter the punishment Of sense !"
Then after saying that Scripture says lit
tie OF the matter, and that it is reason.
Bile to believe their punishment will be
milder, he continues: "No doubt there
were many such among the inhabitants
Of Sodom and Gomorrah, when those
cities were destroyed, and yet the apostle
says Of them in general, they were suffer
ing the vengeance Of eternal fre.-Jude
verse 7."-[Body Of divinity vol. III, p.
4sS1
Dr.. BellAmy says: at was at Gods
sovereign election to give every child Of
Adam born in a Christian land oppor-
tunity by living to hear the good tidings,
or only 70 grant this to some, while others
die in infancy and never hear. Those
who die in infancy may as Justly be held
under the law in the next world as those
that live may in this. God is under no
more obligations to save those that die
than he is TO save those that live; to
grant the regenerating influence Of his
spirit to them than he Is to these" Bel.
lamy's work, vol. !, PIP. 369-70.l
Calvin in his reply to Castalio say: "AS
to what you object that no one is justly
damned unless on account OF trAnsgres.
sion and after transgression; on the frat
point we have no dispute, since every.
where teach that no one perishea except
by Just judgment OF God. Yet It cannot
be dissembled that a hidden poison turks
In your words, because II the similitude
you propose il admitted God will be un.
Just In that he involves the whole race Of
Abraham in the guilt Of original sin.
You deny that 1t 10 unjust TO damn any
one, unless ON account Of transgresSion.
Persons iunumerable are taken out Of
life while yet infants. Put forth now
your virulence against God, Who preeipi.
tatss into etandI death, harmless Infants, torn
from their mothers breasss" Tract Theol.
calumniae Netruconis cujusdam adv.
Doctrin Joan Calvin dc Occulta Del
Proric. ct ad cas- ejusdem Calyinii iRespon.
sio.-Art. XIV
l give another citation from Calvin:
''It Pighuis does not think original sin
sufficient for the damnation OF men. and
will make no account Of the secret iudg-
ment OF God, what will he do with infant
children who have been'snatched out Of
this life before they were able, on account
OF their age, to give any such proof Of
wickednessl Since the same condition Of
birth and death was common to the little
ones who died at Sodom and at Jerusa-
lem, and there was no difference in their
works, trhy viR GGriSt al he last day sepa.
rals some cfthsn 10 His lsa hand from 9th.
era standing at his right? Who does not
here adore the admirable judgment Of
God In that II has been ordered that some
should be born at Jerusalem, whence
they presently pass to . better lie, and
that Sodom, he entrance Of he'll, should be
the birthplace Of others.D-[rract
! Theol. De Eterni Del Praedes. ltthese
passages do not show the belief Of their
writer's in infant damnation language ID
useless. +. BH.