ncense.--Incense is one of the Six Points of Ritual which it is
claimed have always characterized the worship of the Christian
Church. It was the practice of the Church of England up to the
Reformation, and even after that was frequently used. It is used in
many Churches at the present time. It is more of a Scriptural usage
than a Roman use, and while there is no canon or enactment forbidding
its use, yet in the present state of our Church life it is not
likely to become a very popular restoration for some time to come.

Incumbent.--A term peculiar to the English Church but frequently
used in this country to designate the Rector of a Parish. The word
means one who holds or is in possession of any office; it occurs
in the Institution Office.

Infant Baptism.--If the Church were simply a voluntary society
founded on the Bible, as is commonly supposed, there would be no
special reason why Infants should be baptized, except as a matter
of sentiment. If, on the other hand, the Church is a Divine
Institution, founded on Christ and His Apostles, and is declared
in Holy Scripture to be the Mystical Body of Christ, in which we
are united to Him, admitted into covenant with God and so brought
into a new relationship with God, then _Infant Baptism_ is not only
one of the most reasonable, but one of the most urgent doctrines of
the Christian Religion, because it is in Holy Baptism that all these
blessings are vouchsafed to us. (See BAPTISM, HOLY.) By this
Sacrament the youngest infant is lifted up, so to speak, out of the
world of nature and transplanted into {146} Christ's spiritual
kingdom. It becomes thus a child of grace. Its little life is made
right with God. The old evil of our race has been rectified. It is
henceforth not only a child of Adam, but also a child, or member of
the second Adam, Jesus our Lord. By its new Birth in Holy Baptism,
the child becomes as fully incorporated into the new and spiritual
race of which Christ is the Head, as ever it was incorporated into
the race of mankind by its natural birth. It may not be conscious of
this, any more than it was conscious of its natural birth, but it
has, nevertheless, made a right beginning through the thoughtful care
of others. It has, by this ministration, been grafted into the Body
of Christ. It has been put in the way of true spiritual growth and
training. Henceforth it may be brought up as "the child of God" and
not as an alien. To this end the church gives it sp