Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-03-25
DUNCAN'S GOSPEL LESSONS,
REPLY NO. IL.

ever siIls y retain, tney are retained.
This was not spoken to Peter alone
but to the disciples-to at least ten
of them. Now what kind of sins
We're these Apostles empowered to
forgive or retain? Mr.. d. has been
bold enough to say that our confess
sion got the doctrine tina: is found in
3Oth chap, sec. 3, from the Pope of
Rome or "bodily from Popery." Our
confession teaches that the ''forgiv-
ing and retaining sins found in John
20, %, %, were not sins against
God, but sins against the peace and
purity of the church, and for that
reason the officers were empowered
to deal with the offenders. Now l
call upon Mr.. Duncan to let the read
ers of the LEDGER know what kind of
sins the disciples were authorized to
forgive and retain? Dare he answer?
l shall wait for his reply, and 1 now
ask the readers of this paper to look
out for his reply. Remember the
passage-John 20; p, %.
We come now to another of Mr..
Duncan's questions. We are pro-
crossing spiendidly. Mr., DIS squib
Of March IL is a virtual confession
that his questions so far have been
fully answered. 1t may be auorm
work for me, but it is most intensely
hot work for NJ. Y. Duncan.
In u last we showed the author
lty for baptizing the children of be-
levers now We come to reply to the
question, "What do you sprinkle
babies for?' Or, in other words,
why'd Presbyterians baptize the
infant children of Christian parents:' -
| reply in brief. LIST. Because we
believe with the Apostles, that they
are included in the commission OF
law Of baptism, found in Math. %
1920. We have seen that the Apos.
ties so understood the commission
and that they enrolled as disciples
and baptized the children without
personal faith professed) of those
who became "children of God by
faith In Jesus Christ" or p~rofessed
to have so become. 2nd. We be.
lieve that the baptism with water is
the external symbol Of the baptism
of the spirit, that every saved sou
(lnfant or adult) receives before it i,
fit for heaven. Bird. We view the
matter thus. In 1st Cor. 1918, Pau
says, For by one spirit are we al
baptized into one body, whether We
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we bt
bond or free; and have been all made
to drink of one spirit" Now all the
saved, great and small, old anC
young, are members of the body O:
Christ-that n body (1st Cor. II
27) and there is no place in HEAVIER
for any of our race who are MOI
members IN particular" of the bod,
Of Jesus Christ. But we have al
ready seen that oul infant children
who die in infancy are in heaven
Therefore infants - unconscious in
fants-are members of the body Of
our Lord GOT such is the Kingdom
Of heavenly and all who are mem.
bers of that one body, become suct
by being baptized by the one spirit
into the one body. There is no othel
scriptural way of getting into thai
body but by the baptism of the one
spirit into the one body of Jesus
We have seen further that one-thirC
of all born of our race die in uncon.
scious infancy, and are saved il
heaven "by Christ through the spirit
and of course they become ''mem'
bcrs in particular" of the body O
Christ by the one baptism of the one
spirit. There is no other way fol
them to become members of the
body of Christ, and if they are moi
of Christ's body there is no place ir
heaven for them. Here is one-thirc
of all who have ever been born Of
our human race that have been hap.
tized by the Son of God through OF
by or with the Holy Spirit. Jesus
Christ is the great baptizer be it j:
that ''baptizes with the Holy Spirit
Mark 1-S. This is infant baptism by
the wholesale! Millions and hun
dreds of millions of unconscious in.
fants dying in infancy-all baptized
by the one spirit into the one body
purified, cleansed, taken home tc
heaven and permitted to join in that
new song Unto him that loved us ant
,cashed US from our sins-to him bt
glory and dominion forever an6
ever"
Now reader, if anybody ever has
the hardihood to ask you to find in.
FAINT baptism in the New Testament
just turn over to LIST Cor. 1918 and
show him that every little babe that
dies must be baptized by the one
spirit into the one body or it cannot
find any room in that place above that
Jesus went to prepare for his people
John 14:3.
Now look all these infants who