heretical opponents. The doctrines, namely, of Infant Baptism and original sin are closely connected together. And the first deniers of original corruption seem to have been pressed by no argument so hardly as by this practice of the Church and the inference drawn from it: "If there be no original sin, why then are infants baptized for the remission of sin?" So allied are right church-practice and sound doctrine; and such unexpected service does adherence to primitive traditional practice often yield to the true faith[1]! St. Augustine then could appeal to the acknowledged and unquestioned duty of baptizing infants in proof of the Church's doctrine; and thus we incidentally learn, that the whole Church supposed that Baptism bestowed upon all infants all the benefits, whereof it was the channel and instrument to the adult believer. This argument will be best seen detailed at full length. "Christ," he says[2], "came in the flesh, and having taken the form of a servant became obedient to the death of the cross, for no other reason than by this most merciful dispensation of grace to quicken, save, free, redeem, enlighten those who were before in the death of sin, in weakness, slavery, captivity, darkness, under the power of the devil, the prince of sin. This being made clear, it will follow that to that dispensation of Christ which was established through His humiliation, they cannot belong who do not stand in need of life, salvation, freedom, redemption, enlightening. And since Baptism, whereby persons are buried with Christ, in order that His members, i.e. they who believe in Him, may be incorporated into Him, belongeth thereto; then neither is Baptism necessary to those who need not that benefit of remission
- ↑ It was reserved for us to see this connection illustrated in the opposite way, false doctrine springing from false practice. St. Augustine argued, "If it be not superfluous to baptize children, which they (the Pelagians) dare not say, they must confess that Christ benefits baptized infants." (Serm. 295 de Baptismo Parvulor. c. 17). The sect which has deserted the Church's practice, must, in order to escape the charge of cruelty to unbaptized infants, deny that Christ does benefit baptized infants, or has begun to do so, denying original sin. (See the statement in Newman's Parochial Sermons, vol. ii. p. 349).
- ↑ De Peccator. meritis et remiss. L. i. § 39. T. x. p. 22. ed. Bened.
