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

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Him thereunto." <strong>The</strong> foreseen Christian birth, or early death, of a child<br />

can, therefore, in no respect bear upon its election. To assume that all<br />

children dying in infancy, even the children of Christians, are elect, <strong>and</strong> yet<br />

that the preVision of their being so born <strong>and</strong> so dying has no relation to<br />

their election, is illogical.<br />

3. "As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath<br />

He...foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are<br />

elected... are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in<br />

due season; are justified, adopted, sanctified, <strong>and</strong> kept by His power<br />

through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ,<br />

effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, <strong>and</strong> saved, but the elect<br />

only." (Westm. Conf. iii. 6.)<br />

According to this Article, where the "means thereunto" are not, the<br />

election is not. But in the Calvinistic system Baptism is not the means of<br />

grace, but only the sign or seal of grace (xxvii. 1). What is the mean<br />

whereby "elect infants" are effectually called unto "faith in Christ"? <strong>and</strong><br />

do infants have "faith in Christ?" are they "justified, sanctified, kept<br />

through faith unto salvation"? Only those who have the means are among<br />

the elect, <strong>and</strong> only the elect have the effectual means. <strong>The</strong>n Pagan,<br />

Mohammedan, <strong>and</strong> Jewish adults <strong>and</strong> infants are of necessity lost. But has<br />

even a baptized infant the means of effectual calling, of faith, of<br />

justification? <strong>The</strong> Lutheran system says, It has. <strong>The</strong> Calvinistic system<br />

says, It has not. Either, then, the elect infant is saved without means, or<br />

there are none elect who die in infancy. But Calvinism denies both<br />

propositions, <strong>and</strong> is involved in hopeless contradiction. Either Baptism is<br />

properly a means of grace, <strong>and</strong> not its mere seal, or, according to<br />

Calvinism, logically pressed, no one dying in infancy is elect, <strong>and</strong> all<br />

infants are lost.<br />

4. "All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, <strong>and</strong> those<br />

ONLY, He is pleased effectually to call by His Word <strong>and</strong> Spirit..."(x. 1).<br />

"This effectual call is not from anything at all foreseen in man" (x. 2).<br />

"Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated <strong>and</strong> saved by Christ<br />

through the Spirit, who worketh when, <strong>and</strong> where, <strong>and</strong> how He pleaseth.<br />

So also are

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