The Works of Henry Fielding, vol. 12

essary meaning of its declarations. It is not enough to pick out an isolated passage or two, give them a sense of our own, and forthwith build o

tain plain, practical, safe and sound principles. By keeping in mind, and following these fundamental directions, in the interp

s that a passage of Scripture is always to be taken in its natural, plain and literal sense, unless there is someth

s connection, but is to be studied in connec

anation can and should be explained by other passages that are more clear, and thus the Scripture itself furnishes an interpretation o

have examined all that the divine Word says on the subject. In this manner then we wish to answer the questi

and be baptized every one of you for the remission of your sins." Acts xxii. 16: "Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Romans vi. 3: "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ, were baptized into His death." Gal. iii. 27: "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." Eph. v. 25-26: "Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the

are a few other passages in which baptism is merely mentioned, but not explain

ain, unprejudiced reader, who has implicit confidence in the Word and power of God, would derive from them? Can he say, "There is nothing in baptism?" "It is of no consequenc

tizing them." "Be baptized for the remission of your sins." "Be baptized and wash away thy sin." "Baptized into Christ." By baptism "put on Christ." Christ designs to sanctify and cleanse the Church with "the washing of water by the Word." "Washing of regeneration and rene

omise of God declare." Our solid and impregnable Augsburg Confession, also, when in Article II. it confesses that the new birth by baptism and the Holy Spirit delivers from the power and penalty of original sin. Also in Article IX., "of baptism th

hers, repudiate the idea that an unbaptized infant is lost. No single acknowledged theologian of the Lutheran Church ever taught this repulsive doctrine. Why then does our Confession say baptism is necessary to salvation? It is necessary in the same sense in which it is necessary to use al

through baptism, as the means of Grace. When the means, however, cannot be applied, the Spirit of God can effect this new birth in some other way. He is not bound to means. And from what we have learned above of the will of God, toward these little ones, we have e

ve that her Lord will never let a little one perish, but will always regenerate and fit it for His blessed Kingdom e

e never was a nation without infants. The children need Grace: baptism confers Grace. It is specially adapted to impart spiritual blessings to these little ones. We cannot take the preached Word, but we can take the sacramental Word and

estly to Jesus to bless that babe. Her heart knows and believes that that dear child needs the blessing of Jesus, and that He can b

that He has blessed her child; that He has breathed into it His divine life, washed it, sealed it, and adopted it as His son or daughter. H

e children are indeed in covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. But it is their bounden duty and bl