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THE OLD DOCTRINE.
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nation was then the prevalent belief among Christians,—so prevalent, indeed, that those who denied it were among the exceptions and the heretics. The reason why we have cited so many and such eminent authorities, even at the risk of exhausting our readers' patience, is, because we wished the evidence to be ample and satisfactory; and because, moreover, it is no uncommon thing, at the present day, to meet with even professed Calvinists, especially among the laity, who deny that they believe, or that their church ever believed, a doctrine so revolting as that of the damnation of infants. But the evidence is irresistible, that this was once the prevailing belief among the various branches of the Christian church.
