The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church | Page 4

without a teacher, it will not learn to pray, confess wrong, and
"fear, love and trust in God above all things." Are these the symptoms
and evidences of inward purity, or of inbred sin?
Again, that child is subject to sickness, suffering and death. As soon as
it draws its first breath its life is a struggle. It must contend against the
inroads of disease. Its little body is attacked by dire maladies. It is
weakened by suffering and often racked by pain. And how frequently
the feeble life succumbs and the lately-born infant dies.
How can we account for this on the ground of infant sinlessness? Do
we not all believe that suffering and death are the results of sin? Is there,
can there be suffering and death where there is no sin? No; "the wages
of sin is death." But this wages is never exacted where the work of sin
has not been done. The conclusion then is irresistible. The child is a
sinner. It needs salvation. It must be reached by saving Grace. It must
be counted in. It is one of the subjects of salvation, and must be brought
into the Way of Salvation.
The Church is the Bride of Christ, the institution through which Christ
brings and applies this Grace to the children of men. She must begin

with the child. She must reach down to the tender infant and carry the
cleansing and life-giving Grace of the Redeemer even into its sin-sick
soul.
How is this to be done? How does the Lutheran Church propose to
reach that child? This we shall try to answer as we advance.
CHAPTER II.
ALL THAT IS BORN OF THE FLESH MUST BE BORN OF THE
SPIRIT.
In the former chapter we have shown, from Scripture and from reason,
that our Church teaches only the plain truth, when she confesses that:
"After Adam's fall, all men, begotten after the common course of nature,
are born with sin."
As a sinful being the new-born infant is not in the Way of Salvation.
By its natural birth, from sinful parents, it is not in the kingdom of God,
but in the realm and under the dominion of sin, death and the devil. If
left to itself--to the undisturbed development of its own nature, it must
miserably and hopelessly perish. True, there is a relative innocence.
The Apostle exhorts: "_Be ye followers of God, as dear children._"
"_In malice be ye children._" Our blessed Saviour, on several
occasions, rebuked the vain, ambitious spirit of the disciples by
contrasting it with the spirit of a little child. He said: "Of such is the
kingdom of heaven," and "_Except ye be converted, and become as
little children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven_."
These passages are generally quoted by those who refuse to believe the
doctrine of Original Sin, as though they taught sinlessness and entire
fitness for the kingdom. But if we accept this interpretation, then the
Scriptures contradict themselves; for we have seen that, in many places,
they clearly teach the opposite. These passages can only mean that
children are relatively innocent. Compared with the forbidding,
haughty, loveless disciples, little children are much better subjects for
the kingdom. While the roots of sin are there, that sin has not yet done
its hardening work.

They do not wilfully resist the good. They are much more tender,
docile, trustful and loving. The Grace of God has less to overcome in
them. They are more easily reached, and thus are fit subjects to be
brought into the kingdom of God. In this sense only can it be said,
"Suffer the little children to come unto me," that I may touch them,
bless them, impart my Grace to them, and thus make them partakers of
my kingdom. "_Of such is the kingdom_" because I desire and purpose
to bring them into the kingdom.
Thus far we can safely go. This much in favor of the child, over against
the adult, we freely admit. But this does not say that the child is
innocent, pure and holy by nature. The undeveloped roots and germs of
sin are still there. Its nature is evil. It must be saved from that moral
nature. How?
Here again we meet those who have a very easy solution of the
difficulty. They say: "Admitting that the child has sin, this will in no
way endanger its salvation, because Christ died to take away sin. They
have no conscious sin. Therefore, the atonement of Christ covers their
case, and, without anything further, they pass into heaven, if they die in
their infancy."
This view seems to satisfy a great many well-meaning people. Without
giving the matter any further thought, they dismiss it with this easy
solution. Surely, did they stop to consider