The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-07
THE INFANT QUESTION.
The Origin Of the Doubts In
Regard to Their Salvation.
Total Hereditary 0epraviy lmput-
ed to Them on Account Of
Adams Fall.
Sermon by Rev. o. T.. Miller, OF
the Disciples Church,
Last Night.

Al the Disciples Church, Centre
Wheeling, Rev. o. P. Miller, the PASTOR,
preached last evening on the subject Of
Infant Salvation, and, as connected there
with, touched upon infant baptism. As
the whole subject is one that is now en-
gazing much attention from the public
We append the reverend gentleman's re.
marks in full, as follows:
REV. MGLIER's DISCOURSE.
A subject OF much discussion in our
CITY papers has been the doctrine OF the
Protestant Church 10 regard to the fate
Of ~unbaptized infants. Bishop KAN holds
that it was the doctrine OF the Retormers
and OF the standard creeds OF the Prot
estant Church that infants dying without
baptism are lost in hell. Mr.. Moffat's
reply denied this to be the doctrine Of the
Retcrmers, or the creed at least OF the
Presbyterian Church. He admitted, how.
ever, that she'll Il their due but will not
be their DOOM" claiming thst all who die
in infancy are regenerated by the Holy
Spirit, and arc thus, through the merits
Of Christ's death, saved in heaven. The
faith Of the Catholic Church, on the other
hand, as to the fate Of unbaptizsd infants,
is "that they cannot enjoy the beatific
vision OF God in heaven" "The Church
does not even teach that they go TO the
hell OF the damned" but shat they do
not see and enjoy God in heaven" 1t
may be said, however, that they will not
bury an unbaptizsd child in consecrated
ground, nor allow such burial there.
THE POOR INFASTs.
Both OF these positions leave the chill
dren in a bad condition. The one denies
their burial In consecrated ground here,
and the privilege Of entering the presence
Of God hereafter; and as We know OF
only two places in the universe after
tlme shall end, viz: heaven in the pres.
ence Of God and perdition GVay from the
presence Of God, it ia hard 10 tell where
The poor Infants will ut last be found,
The other position admits that they
deserye the punishments Of hell, but by
the gracious work OF the Spirit in re-
generating them they will escape 1t.
While portions Of the creed teach
that only a part OF the human family
will enjoy final salvation, and that only
that part OF them will be visited and re.
generated by the Holy Spirit, yet the
view we have referred to holds that all
infants will be regenerated and saved.
Therefore, it would seem, that all dying
in infancy are among the elect. The
thought that II il horrible to suppose q
child lost in hell, no doubt forced this in.
depreciation Of the creed. But II is hard
to zee the difference between C%ondemning
a being when an infant and allowing it to
come 10 manhood and then c%ondemning
it with a condemnation determined on
before it was born.
TOTAL DEPRAvITY,
The difficulty in all this controversy ia
found In the doctrine Of total hereditary
depravity. This Is the parent idea Of .
large por tion Of Protestant theology. II
describes human nature a being under
the guilt OF Adams ain, and therefore
deserving Of Gods condemnation; and
further, that man from infancy is inca
pable Of thinking a good thought OIL
performing a good action" and that "he
Hopposed 10 all good and wholly inclined
to al evil, and that continually" Fol
an authorized statement Of this doctrine
! will quote again a passage already
quoted during the current discussion
Doctor Guiss, chairman Of the Westmin,
aler Assembly, and said to DO the COM
poser OF the Westminster Confession o.
Faith, says: an regard to those who
are condemned to eternal death solely
on account Of original sin, their con
demnation TO eternal death Is the oonse
quence Of Adams trapgression alone,
Bnt many infants depart this life Ii
original sin, and consequently are con
demned 10 eternal death on account o
original sin alone. Therefore the con
demnAtion Of many infants TO eterna
death is the consequence Of Adams trans
erosion solely" Or. BellGmy says tina
'those who die-in infancy may as justly
be held under the law In the next worlC
a. those thatlive may in this. God is IN
der no more obligation to save those tina
die than to save those that live; TO gran
the rageneratiug influence Of his spirit L
them than to these" Augustine says u
quote briefly: "And, therefore, since nj
one could hope for salvation and eterna
lie without baptism and the body ant
blood OF the Lord, Il was in vain to prom
lee children salvation without them!
AVAin ha anVa fdonvibV a middla atata