Confirmation and First Communion

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854 edition. Excerpt: ... 318 infant baptism. New Testament without baptism, because Christ bad appointed baptism as the outward sign by which they received the grace that worked these wonders. But can they be received without faith? surely not, there can be no act of religion without faith. Why then are children baptized, when by reason of their tender age they cannot have faith? Can you see no difference between a man coming doubtfully and distrustfully, with sins on his conscience, and unbelief in his heart, and a child incapable of receiving any impressions? Will you limit God's mercies, and say man must understand before God will give help? The faithless and the unbelieving receive baptism though to their loss, but the child is not faithless. The child is not unbelieving, he is merely unconscious, and if the child should die, is it justice to punish it in its innocence, because it is incapable of understanding what faith is? Depend upon it it is not justice, neither is it God's doing. What He says is, Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not. But how is it done? Faith is necessary; but the child, though not an unbeliever, cannot possess it. How? because God takes it for granted that he will have faith, and gives him the grace necessary for him beforehand. Did you never yourselves buy an article upon credit? God gives His grace upon credit, He requires faith--absolutely requires it; but God is mercifully pleased to wait that He may be gracious; He admits the child into covenant at once, because it is necessary to his salvation; and while he is a child He takes his faith for granted. If, when he grows up and is capable of understanding it, he has faith, God confirms hiin; if he has not, God cuts him off from the covenant of grace. It is true...