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The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

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from the Pagan or Jewish world. <strong>The</strong> child of Christian parents, or of a<br />

Christian parent, is, so to speak, constructively <strong>and</strong> provisionally, <strong>and</strong> by a<br />

natural anticipation, to be considered Christian, but is not actually such<br />

until it is baptized. Thus a resident foreigner in our l<strong>and</strong> is, constructively<br />

<strong>and</strong> provisionally, an American citizen, but not actually such until he is<br />

naturalized.<br />

This is the true force of the passage to which we are alluding (1 Cor.<br />

vii. 14), <strong>and</strong> which is mainly relied on by those who think that infants are<br />

born of the flesh into the earthly kingdom of God--the Church. This is<br />

apparent on a careful examination of the text. <strong>The</strong> question before the<br />

Apostle was this: If one of a married couple became Christian, the other<br />

remaining Pagan, would this diversity of religion necessitate a divorce?<br />

<strong>The</strong> Apostle replies it would not. "If any brother hath a wife that believeth<br />

not, <strong>and</strong> she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And<br />

the woman which hath an husb<strong>and</strong> that believeth not, <strong>and</strong> if he be pleased<br />

to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husb<strong>and</strong> is<br />

SANCTIFIED (hJgi÷astai) by the wife, <strong>and</strong> the unbelieving wife is<br />

SANCTIFIED (hJgi÷astai) by the husb<strong>and</strong>. Else were your children<br />

UNCLEAN (aÓka¿qarta¿); but now are they HOLY (a‚gia¿)."<br />

Let it be noted, that three classes of persons are here spoken of as<br />

holy or sanctified:<br />

1. <strong>The</strong> unbelieving husb<strong>and</strong> is sanctified;that is, is holy, because his<br />

wife is a Christian.<br />

2. <strong>The</strong> unbelieving wife is sanctified; that is, is holy, because her<br />

husb<strong>and</strong> is a Christian.<br />

3. <strong>The</strong> children are sanctified; that is, are holy,because one of the<br />

parents is a Christian. It is evident then that this sanctification is not a<br />

MORAL one. <strong>The</strong> Pagan husb<strong>and</strong> is not, by virtue of having a Christian<br />

wife, any less a godless man; neither then can the Apostle mean that his<br />

child is holy morally because its mother is holy. It is evident, furthermore,<br />

that the sanctification is not an ECCLESIASTICAL one. <strong>The</strong> Pagan wife<br />

is not a member of the Church because her husb<strong>and</strong> is a Christian, neither<br />

then is her child holy ecclesiastically, separated to the Christian Church,<br />

because its father is

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