The same conclusion may be reached by another line of argument. There is a great text (2 Cor. v. 19): "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself." Christ's atonement is on a world scale. It embraces potentially every human being. It is quite true that, to those who have been taught about it, the condition of receiving the benefits of the Atonement is faith. "By faith ye are saved." But this condition cannot be applied in full strictness either to little children or to the heathen, who, for different reasons, have not heard the message of the Gospel. An examination of the position of the heathen is not relevant to the present purpose. But of little children we are surely warranted in saying that they all come under the cloak of Christ's atoning work. Just so far as there is any general displeasure of God against the human family, because they are all, young and old alike, involved by virtue of their humanity in the consequences of the sin of Adam, that displeasure is removed in Christ. The technical way of saying this is that "original sin" which, according to Article IX., "deserveth God's wrath and damnation," is forgiven.

Thus, by a double line of argument, we are led to the conclusion that all little children are the recipients of God's blessing. His Holy Spirit begins a regenerating work upon them all. The success and continuance of that work will depend, firstly, upon the way in which they are taught the Christian faith; and, secondly, upon whether they do their part by believing in Christ. But so far as infants are concerned, the answer is clear: there is no difference in God's sight between one that has been baptized and one that has not.1

Does this mean that Infant Baptism is valueless? Far from it. It has real advantages. In the first place the Baptism is enshrined in a Service of prayer. Petition for the spiritual welfare of the child is offered by the Minister, the parents, the Godparents, the assembled Congregation. If that prayer is sincerely and earnestly offered, it must bring down a blessing upon the child. Dare we indeed neglect such prayer, when we consider the truth that God seems sometimes to withhold a blessing because He wishes His children to ask Him for it? Moreover we have seen that Baptism is the Christ-ordained seal of Regeneration. As such, it has an immediate helpfulness to the parents and Godparents. It is to them a sign that the child has entered into covenant relationship with God. It is to them a pledge that 1 The view expressed in the text carries with it rejection of the theory sometimes advanced that "original sin" is washed away in Baptism.

their efforts to call out his faith are being invisibly aided by the regenerating power of the Spirit. It is a warrant to them to believe that if he dies in infancy he is sure of a place in heaven.

Similarly, when the child begins to be able to understand the elements of the Christian faith, it is helpful to him to look back to his Baptism. That Baptism becomes a pledge to him in just the same way as it is to his Godparents. It becomes also a challenge to him to fulfil the responsibilities which were undertaken in his name.

If it is said, as indeed it is said by the Quakers, that no such seals and pledges are necessary, the only answer is, that general Christian experience points the other way, and that Christ Himself did see a value in them.

The question which has been the subject of the preceding paragraphs was asked in the sixteenth century. The Prayer Book gives its answer in the note at the end of the Baptism Service. In one respect the position which has been here adopted goes further than the Prayer Book. The Reformers were sure about the salvation of baptized infants. They deliberately refused to say that unbaptized infants were not saved.

A few words may be added upon what we have come to call the Confirmation Service. It will be remembered that in the Hippolytean Church Order a laying on of hands by the bishop was the closing act of the Service, and that this was the only part of the Service which was reserved exclusively for the bishop. When Baptism came to be administered by parish clergy apart from their bishop, the laying on of hands had to be deferred until he visited the parish. The result of this has been that the Baptism Service has not for many centuries been completed at one time, but an interval of greater or less extent has come between the first and second parts.

Since Infant Baptism so enormously preponderates over Adult, this interval is convenient. The second part of the Service can be deferred until the Infants come to years of discretion, and the laying on of hands can then be associated with an assumption by the baptized of those vows which were originally taken in their name by their Godparents. The Confirmation Service, therefore, now as through the bulk of the Christian centuries, wears a double character. It is an occasion when the baptized confirm or renew their vows of renunciation and faith. It is also an occasion when, in answer to the prayers of themselves and the Church, they are confirmed or strengthened by the reception of fresh gifts of the Holy Spirit [not, let it be repeated, by the

reception of the Holy Spirit for the first time, as some people wrongly seem to think]. The laying on of hands upon the head of the candidate may perhaps best be interpreted as a symbol of the concentration of the Church's prayers upon him, invoking for him the Divine blessing.

The Confirmation Service in the Prayer Book is not quite suitable for those who have been baptized as Adults. Some of the language does not fit their case, and moreover the renewal of vows is for them unnecessary. It is no doubt fitting that they should receive the laying on of hands as soon as conveniently may be after their Baptism, but the provision of a more suitable Form of Service is much to be desired.

ΧΙ

THE ANGLICAN DOCTRINE OF BAPTISM

It was the boast of the Reformers to whom we owe our Prayer Book that they went back behind the perverted Christian tradition of the Middle Ages to the pure Word of God, and based their doctrine directly upon it, so that, as they said in Article VI. "Whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." The services of the medieval Church, precious heritage as they were, were affected by the growth of unscriptural doctrine, and the question immediately arose what was to be done with them. It is a matter for great thankfulness that they were not scrapped altogether by the Anglican Reformers as they were by certain others, but were modified where necessary so as to be in accordance with Scripture. Thus the old was preserved in a purified form, and the link with earlier Christian centuries was not broken.

What we have done in this book has been first to appeal to Scripture for its teaching on Regeneration and Baptism, and then to examine our Baptismal Offices with that teaching in our minds. We found that we were required to interpret the language of the Offices not in a direct and dogmatic, but in a sacramental manner. Thus interpreted, there was no doubt that the doctrine lying behind them was thoroughly Scriptural. We were content for the time to notice that such sacramental language was really by no means unusual; that it was not only recognized by the theologians of the Reformation period and by such an eminent early Christian writer as St. Augustine, but that it could be amply illustrated in other spheres.

It will however confirm us in our interpretation if we can show that where the Prayer Book is definitely dogmatic on the subject of Baptism, it does teach the doctrine which we deduced from Scripture and which we argued was implied by the Baptismal

Services when sacramentally interpreted. Now the dogmatic teaching of the Prayer Book is to be found in the Articles and Catechism, and we must therefore inquire what they assert. It will be convenient to begin with the Articles.

There is a reference in Article IX. which deals with "original sin" or the tendency to sin which infects human nature. The Article says that "this infection of nature doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated," and that "there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized" [the Latin version of the Articles substitutes "regenerated" for "baptized"]. There is nothing here that needs comment. The fact is painfully true to Christian experience.

Article XXVII. deals definitely with Baptism. "Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church: the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptism of young children is in any wise to be retained, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ."

This should be read in connection with the first paragraph of Article XXV., which expounds the theory of Sacraments in general terms: "Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs of grace, and God's good will towards us, by the which He doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm our Faith in Him."

The main points made may be set out thus

1. Baptism is not merely a distinguishing mark between one who is a Christian and one who is not. This is supposed 1 to have been the view of a Continental Reformer called Zwingli. We may perhaps paraphrase it thus: "Baptism is not merely a ceremony which marks entrance into the Visible Church."

2. It is a sign and seal of Regeneration by the Holy Ghost, of adoption to be a son of God, of the forgiveness of sins.

3. It is not useless, but effectual in its capacity as sign and seal. Its effectiveness, however, is not unconditioned. It is only

effectual to those who use it rightly.