roving of a wicked
disposition."

It is plain, from his own statements, that infant baptism was practised
in the days of this father; and it is also obvious that it was then said
to rest on the authority of the New Testament. Its advocates, he
alleges, quoted in its defence the words of our Saviour--"Suffer the
little children to come unto me and forbid them not." [476:2] And how
does Tertullian meet this argument? Does he venture to say that it is
contradicted by any other Scripture testimony? Does he pretend to assert
that the appearance of parents, as sponsors for their children, is an
ecclesiastical innovation? Had this acute and learned controversialist
been prepared to encounter infant baptism on such grounds, he would not
have neglected his opportunity. But, instead of pursuing such a line of
reasoning, he merely exhibits his weakness by resorting to a piece of
miserable sophistry. When our Lord said--"Suffer the little children to
come unto me and forbid them not," He illustrated His meaning as He
"took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them;"
[476:3] so that the gloss of Tertullian--"Let them come _whilst they
are growing up_, let them come whilst they are learning"--is a palpable
misinterpretation. Nor is this all. The Carthaginian father must have
known that there were frequent instances in the days of the apostles of
the baptism of whole households; and yet he maintains that the
unmarried, especially young widows, cannot with safety be admitted to
the ordinance. Had he been with Paul and Silas at Philippi he would thus
scarcely have consented to the baptism of Lydia; and he would certainly
have protested against the administration of the rite to all the members
of her family. [477:1]

Though Tertullian may not have formally separated from the Church when
he wrote the tract in which this passage occurs, it is evident that he
had already adopted the principles of the Montanists. These errorists
held that any one who had fallen into heinous sin after baptism could
never again be admitted to ecclesiastical fellowship; and this little
book itself supplies proof that its author now supported the same
doctrine. He here declares that the man "who renews his sins after
baptism" is "destined to fire;" and he intimates that martyrdom, or "the
baptism of blood," can alone "restore" such an offender. [477:2] It was
obviously the policy of the Montanists to discourage infant baptism, and
to retai