ng to
Christ's own words, possesses the heavenly nature and needs not to go
through the process of regeneration. In another place Christ said:
'Unless ye become converted and become as a little child ye cannot see
the Kingdom.' There you see conversion is compared to the condition of
the child nature. Christ said a person desiring conversion must become
like a little child. Now we know that a converted person is entitled to
and must receive baptism. Why, then, could not a child be baptized?"

"Doctor Vincent," said Dorothy, "it seems to me that the whole matter
hinges on the question as to who was commanded in the Bible to be
baptized. Does Christ say that all persons having the heavenly or
child-like nature must be baptized? If so, why did he not baptize the
little ones the day they were brought to him? It looks as if the
disciples did not know anything about baptizing the little ones."

"No, they seemed to know very little about Christ's attitude towards
children."

"Let me ask this question, Doctor," said Dorothy. "You spoke of the
heavenly nature of the infant. When an infant is baptized and grows up,
does the baptism cause the heavenly nature to stay with the child?"

"Not necessarily."

"What good, then, does the baptism do? Do you mean that a baptized
infant might grow up to be a fearful villain?"

"Yes, it is possible."

"Well, do the baptized infants have a less tendency to sin than the
unbaptized infants?"

"No. I can't say that the baptism itself has any effect on the infant.
Neither does it have any effect on the grown person that is baptized and
disgraces his baptism received in later life."

"But is there not this difference, that in the case of grown people you
baptize only those who desire baptism, but in the case of infants you do
not make such distinction?"

"It seems to me," said the father, "that the important question is, who
in the Bible are commanded to be baptized? Does the Bible say that
infants must be baptized or not?"

"No," replied the Doctor, "it does not say that."

"Well, who are entitled to baptism?"

"Let me get my concordance," said Dorothy, rising from her seat, "and
look at the passages about baptism so as to see who are commanded to be
baptized."

She began with the aid of the concordance to pick out the passages
having the word "baptize" in them. She read: "'He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved.'"

"Hello!" said the father. "Who said that?"

"Those