The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 311Original sin, as St. Paul has told us, is universal.Every child is, therefore, defiled at its birth withthe taint of Adam s disobedience. Now the Scripture says that nothing defiled can enter the kingdom of heaven. 1 Hence, Baptism, which washesaway original sin, is as essential for the infant asfor the full grown man, in order to attain the kingdom of heaven.I said that Regeneration is necessary for all. Butit isimportant to observe that if a man is heartilyBorry for his sins, and loves God with his wholeheart, and desires to comply with all the divineordinances, including Baptism, but has no opportunity of receiving it, or is not sufficiently instructedas to its necessity, God, in this case, accepts thewill for the deed. Should this man die in thesedispositions, he is saved by the baptism of desire.Or, if an unbaptized person lays down his life forChrist, his death isaccepted as more than anequivalent for Baptism; for, he dies not onlysanctified, but will wear a martyr s crown. He isbaptized in his own blood.But is not that a cruel and heartless doctrinewhich excludes from heaven somany harmlessbabes that have never committed any actual fault?To this I reply: Has not God declared that Bapfor all ? And is not God the sutism is necessarypreme Wisdom and Justice and Mercy?I am sure,then, that there can be nothing cruel or unjust in1Apoc. xxi. 27.