The Irish standard., 1898-03-19
ITS NECESSITY FOR SALVATION.
Scriptural Texts In Its Support
by Rev. FIR. Lambert.
OF INTEREST TO BApTlsTs.
Cogent Reasons Adduced by the
Catholic Champion.

The Baptists do not believe in infant
baptism on the strength Of the text:
Go teach all nations, baptizing them In
the name of the Father, and of the Son.
and of the Holy Ghost" Now, accord
ing to this text, they argue that teach
ing should precede baptism; but in
fants cannot be taught; therefore they
should not be baptized.
Father Lambert, the noted controver-
sialist, being asked to explain why
Catholics baptize infants, gives the fol-
lowing cogent reasons:
l. In chapter 1S, verses and IA Of
st. Matthew, we read: And Jesus
called little child unto him. and set
him in the midst of them.
Even SO it is not the will of your Father,
who is in heaven, that one of these lit
tie ones should perish And in chapter
10, verse a. But Jesus said, Suffer
little children to come unto me and for
bid them not. for of such is the king,
dom of heaven"
1t is clear from these texts that our
Lord Wills the salvation of children, and
therefore wills that they may have the
means necessary to attain salvation.
Now. in view of this evident will of
our Lord, let us consider the following
text: "And Jesus answered: Amen,
amen, say to thee, unless a man be
born again Of water and the Holy
Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God."-John 3-5.
The word man" in this text means
any one, any human being whatever,
for that Is the sense of the Greek word
'tis," as used in the text. 1t does not
mean man as distinguished from a
woman, or an adult distinguished from
a child, but any one. 1t is clear, then,
from this text that no one can be saved
without being regenerated by baptism.
Consequently, baptism is necessary
means to salvation for all, since ac-
cording to the words of Christ, no one
without it can enter into the kingdom of
God. Now as Christ wills the salvation
of children, he wills them the necessary
means to salvation. Baptism is neces-
sary means to salvation. Therefore, he
wills that children receive baptism.
There is another thing to be observed
in the text. Our Lord does not say
"unless any one who can be taught and
who believes be born again." but "un-
less man Chat is, any one, any human
being) be born again Of water and the
Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the
kingdom of Cod" In this text our
Lord exempts no one, young or old,
learned Or ignorant, from the necessity
of being regenerated by baptism as a
condition of salvation. He does not
say, "unless any one but infants be
born again." but unless anyone be
born again"-making no exception
whatever. Those, therefore, who pre-
vent children from receiving this neces-
sary means of salvation disobey the
command of our Lord who said, Suffer
little children to come unto me and
forbid them not" 1t Is an awful re-
sponsibility to take on ones self this
refusing to a child the merits of its
Redeemer by denying it that sacrament
of regeneration through whicr those
merits can be applied to it, and by
which it is cleansed from the sin 1t in
herited from Adam.
2. While there are no texts referring
expressly and directly to the baptism
of children, there are many texts from
which the baptism of children is clear
ly implied. Thus in Acts 2, SO, 80, St.
Peter eXhorts the Jews to be baptized
for the remission Of their sins, and
adds "for the promise is to you and
to your children"
Again, "And when she Uydia) was
baptized. and her household. Acts Is,
Is. Again, and 1 baptized also the
household of Stephanas"-I. Cor, 1-16
1t is reasonable to suppose there were
children in those households.
Circumcision was an ordinance of the
old law by which those who received
1t entered into and received the ben
efits of the Covenant which God made
with Abraham. "And He (God) gave
him (Abraham) the covenant of cir
cumcision, and so Abraham begat Isaac
and crcumcised him on the eighth day."
Here is a contract that implied faith
in God and promise of obedience.
And yet Isaac at the age of eight days,
incapable of believing or of assuming
personally the obligations of contract.
is initiated and made an heir of the
promise. And thus was every Jewish
child made partaker of the promise
the eighth day after it's birth. Adults
who desired to partake of the promise