The Doctrine of the Church of England Upon the Efficacy of Baptism Vindicated [A Reply to an Inquiry Into the Effect of Baptism, by J. Scott]. (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1816 Excerpt: ... CHAP. HI.' Reasoning from Adult to Infant Baptism incorrect. Efficacy of Adult Baptism as dependent upon the assumption of sincerity. Opinion. that Regeneration exists before and without Baptism controverted. Inconsistent with the express language of the Liturgy, and with the Catechism. A COMPLAINT has been made, that Dr.Mant confines, or nearly confines, his attention to infant recipients of Baptism a. But they who thus complain well know, that the principal question in debate hinges upon this very point, and that the Church of England possessed no form whatsoever of adult Baptism until the Restoration. They have nevertheless so completely inverted the argument, and perplexed it with foreign topics, that it seems no easy task to disentangle it. I do not however mean to undertake this task; but solely to discuss that which constitutes the true ground of difference between us. P. 116. The inverted order of argument alluded to consists in an attempt to explain the doctrine of infant by that of adult Baptism. But as in a Christian country it may be supposed, that all persons are baptized in infancy, and as the original framers of our Liturgy manifestly acted upon that supposition, I do not perceive how it can be reasonably argued, that they conformed their office of infant Baptism to the principles of an office of adult Baptism, which did not at the time exist. I very well understand how it might happen, that those, who subsequently compiled an office of adult Baptism, when such an office became requisite, might, as far as circumstances permitted, mutatis mutandis, copy the form of an office of infant baptism, which had been previously in use for more than a century. And this did in fact take place, with such alterations and additions as appeared proper to ad...