The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-07
A NECESSITY OF TINS DOCTRINE.

Now, 10 meet this condition Of extreme
deprayity, something more powerful than
ordinary mortal power-something more
potent than truth-something more pow.
erful than ever the Gospel, which is said
to be Gods power unto salvation to all
who believe, Ia absolutely necessary, in
order that this depraved nature be re-
generated at all. To put moral and
spiritual life into such q nature Is nothing
less than a miraculous work, and requires
miraculous power. Hence the doctrine
OF the direct influence Of the Holy Spirit
on the spirit Of man, which by its
supernatural power, without any instru.
mentality, regenerates the man and
makes him a new creature. Every such
conversion is clearly and necessarily a
miracle, but the doctrine OF total here.
ditary deprayity demands power no less
than this TO produce conversion at oil.
1t Is q logical necessity. Hence to avoid
the conclusion Of infant damnation, to
which the doctrine Of total hereditary
d~eprayity necessarily leads, this egener.
ating influence Of the. Spirit on infants Is
assumed. l say assumed, for there is
neither precept In the Scriptures prom
Using such work Of the Spirit on children,
nor example OF such infant conversion
recorded in the New Testament Script.
ures. This being the. case the doctrine
Of supernatural influence is a logica!
necessity growing out Of the doctrine OF
hereditary d~eprayity. It Ia the result OF
metaphysical reasoning and not OF
Scripture teaching.
HOW INFANT BAPrIsM BECAME A SEcEs-
srrY.
Another logical necessity, on account OF
the faith Of the early church, followed
this doctrine, VIE Infant baptism. 1t
was the uniform faith Of the early church
that the remission Of sins to m uncon.
yerted man was connected with baptism:
that after the necessary previous work OF
The Holy Spirit remission was declared
In baptism. Therefore it was necessary,
in order that the guilt Of original Elm
upon the infant be certainly pardoned,
that the child be not only ~regenerated by
the Shirt, but also be baptized. II was
not held that there was any efficacy in the
element Of water, nor merit in the act
performed, but that divine wisdom and
mercy chose that at that point pardon
should be granted.
That l am not mistaken as TO this de.
sign Of baptism being held by the au.
thoriLies OF the church, witness u lew
quotations: First, Calvin, speaking OF
baptism, says that ut resembles illegal in.
strument properly attested, by which He,
God, assures us that all our aims are can.
celled, etfaced, obliterated; so that they
will never appear in his sight, or come
into his remembrance, or be imputed to
us. For he commands all vho beisre 10 be
baptized for The remisiOn Of their sins" 1'
The Episcopal creed %instructs the min.
lister about to baptize to say 10 the candi.
date: "Doub. ye %nottherefore, but earn
estly believe that He, God, will fayorably
receive these present persons, truly re.
penting and coming into Him BY faith.
that He will grant them remission Of
their sins, and bsstow on them the Holy
Ghost; that lie will give them the blessing.
Of eternalliie and make them p%artakers OF
his everlasting Kingdom" The Pfesby.
terrain creed says: "Baptism is a sacra.
ment of the New Testament not only for
the solemn admission Of the party. bap-
tiled into the visible church, but also to
be unto him a sign asd seal oil the cove
nant Of grace, Of his ENGRAVING into
Christ, OF regeneration, Of remission Of
aims, and OF his giving up unto God
through Jesus Christ to walk in newness
Of life" In the Methodist Discipline the
minister Is taught to pray as follows:
ave call upon Thee for these persons
that they coming to thy holy baptism
may receive remission Of their SINS by
spiritual regeneration The Augsburg
Confession teaches thus: Concerning
baptism they teach that 1t Is necessary to
salvation as q ceremony ordained Of
Christ; also by baptism the grace OF God
Ia offered" The Confessioni Saxony, says:
aT baptiEe thee-that il, ! witness BY this
dipping thy sins be washed away and
that thou art received Of the true God"
The Witteuburg Confession teaches:
ave believe and confess that baptism ia
that sea into the bottom whereof, as the
prophet saith, doth cast all our SINS
The Confession OF Sweyeland says: "As
touching baptism We confess that II ID
the font OF regeneration: washeth away
sins and sayeth US. But all these things
do we understand as ST.. Peter doth inter.
pref them: lst Peter, 8, and 2lst." The
Roman Catholic and Greek churches say
1--WE believe 10 one baptism for the re-
mission. Of sins." Some Of them quote
Mark 10: 10; Acts 2: IS, and %: 10.
THE pEsIos OF Baptism.
In the light OF these q mulated faiths
Il Il clear that baptism for the remission
Of sins has been uniformly held. BY the
Church, and the very fact Of infant bap'
tism IL the clearest evidence Of it. For
II the baptism OF infants ia not o rthe re-
mission Of sins, what ISL for? Plainly
10 answer this end II was adopted. All
this authority would seem TO DO sufficient
10 prevent 80 much objection to baptising
Scriptural candidates now for remission
OF sins. To tho whole Of this system oil
theology, to style II such, we must enter
a moat emphatic dissent, except It may
be what Is said Of the design Of baptism
Scripturally Understood. Brief time al.
lows little more than q denial Of the
doctrine.
The Scriptures teach that by the Sin Of
Adam our race has been greatly democrat.
lied, even d%eprayed, 80 that when the
Gospel came It was said none dotd good
but II was not said that even for
adults all power TO choose and