Page:Tracts for the Times Vol 2.djvu/286

76 this is true: for he would have been sinning against less light, less powerful influences of ; he would have done less despite to the of Grace, and not wilfully have broken his Covenant with. But if by this complaint, a person means to throw the blame off himself upon his Parents who brought him to be baptized in Infancy, or the Church, which has commanded Infant-Baptism, then he knows neither himself nor the ordinance of :—not himself; for what ground has he to think that if he had not been put thus early in possession of the privileges of Baptism, and so been entitled to struggling within him, checking him, goading him, recalling him to himself, setting before him a broken Covenant, and  wrath, how does he know that he ever should have repented? and not rather have gone on, (as many thousands of those who have at any time not been admitted into Christ's Church by Baptism as Infants,) still putting it off until "a more convenient season," still wishing to reserve this complete remission to cover the sins which they had not yet resolved to part with, until the Devil should have so tied and bound him with these habits of delay, that he could not extricate himself, but died at last in sin, unbaptized, and so without the Covenant of or the seal of pardon? Such was the case formerly, when timid and unbelieving and worldly parents did not bring their children to Baptism, and when half-converts admitted the truth of the Gospel, but would not undertake its obligations. "This delay," says St. Basil, "utters no other language than this, 'Let sin first reign in me, then, at some future time, the also shall reign: I will yield my members instruments of unrighteousness unto iniquity, then will I yield them instruments of righteousness unto ! Just so did Cain also offer sacrifice unto .'" "If," again says St. Gregory of Nazianzum "constantly passing by 'to-day,' you reserve for yourself 'to-morrow,' deceived into these petty delays by the evil one, as is his wont: 'Give me the present, to  the future: to me youth, to  old age: to me the time of pleasures, to Him that of imbecility:' how great is