The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"314 THE FAITH OP OUR FATHER?.of her offspring may be saved. And yet the supernatural happiness of the child is too often imperiledwithout remorse by the criminal postponement ofBaptism.But, if they are tobe censured who are slow inhaving their children baptized, what are we to thinkof that large body of professing Christians who, onprinciple, deny Baptism to little ones till they cometo the age of discretion ? What are we to think ofthose who set their private opinions above Scripture,the early Fathers of the Church, and the universalpractice of Christendom ?We may smile indeed at a theological opinion, nomatter how novel or erroneous itmay be, so long asit does not involve any dangerous consequences.But when it isgiven in a case of life and death,how terrible is the responsibility of those who propagate such erroneous doctrines.The opposite practice of the Catholic and theBaptist churches, in their treatment of the new-borninfant, may be well compared to the conduct of thetrue and false mother who both claimed the childat the tribunal of Solomon. The king exclaimed :"Divide the living child in two, and give half tothe one and half to the other." The pretendedmother consented, saying: Let it be neither mine northine, but divide it. But the woman whose childwas alive, said to the king (for her bowels weremoved upon her child): I beseech thee, my lord,give her the child alive, and do not kill it. While